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THE   COW 


In   Health   and    Disease 


Embracing    the    Fundamental    Principles    of   Sanitation 
and  Hygiene — The  Proper  Care  and    Treatment 
in  All  Common  Diseases — The  Care  of  the 
Dairy  and  Dairy  Products,    Includ- 
ing Municipal  Requirements 
and    Standardization. 


BY 

G.  H.  CONN,  D.   V.  M. 


Formerly  Veterinary  Inspector  for   the   Bureau    of  Animal 

Industry  of  the  United    States   Department   of 

Agriculture;  First  Lieutenant  Veterinary 

Corps  of  the  National  Army. 


KANSAS  CITY,    MISSOURI 

BURTON    PUBLISHING   COMPANY 

Publishers   and    Booksellers 


Copyrighted  1918 

BY 

BURTON  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

Kansas  City,  Mo. 


This  volume  is  dedicated  to  those  who  have 
the  best  interests  of  the  cow  at  heart,  both  from 
a  humane  and  economic  standpoint,  and  who 
are  desirous  of  doing  all  that  they  possibly  can 
to  add  to  their  comfort  and  protect  their  health- 
By  The  Author. 


S0423 


PREFACE. 

From  the  author's  experience  as  a  practic- 
ing veterinarian  in  the  rural  districts  and  from 
the  reception  of  his  articles  pertaining  to  the 
covv  by  the  readers  of  the  largest  and  most 
influential  dairy  and  farm  papers  in  the  United 
States  he  was  convinced  that  there  was  a 
great  need  for  a  book  dealing  with  the  proper 
care  of  the  cow  in  health  and  in  sickness. 

The  aim  of  the  author  in  preparing  this  vol- 
ume was  purely  an  educational  one  and  it  is 
hoped  that  none  of  its  readers  will  be  led  to 
believe  that  he  desires  to  impress  upon  them 
the  fact  that  they  can  successfully  and  profit- 
ably prescribe  for  their  cows  during  sickness, 
but  rather  that  realizing  the  nature  of  those 
conditions  that  commonly  affect  their  cows 
that  they  will  whenever  possible  secure  pro- 
fessional aid.'  To  be  forewarned  is  to  be  fore- 
armed, and  truly  the  cheapest  thing  that  you 
can  purchase  when  you  have  a  valuable  cow 
sick,  is  the  advice  of  a  reputable  veterinarian. 

If  the  author  is  successful  through  the  me- 
dium of  this  volume  to  enable  some  few  owners 

7 


8  The  Cow  in  Hemlth  and  Disease. 

of  cows  to  prevent  their  animals  from  suffer- 
ing from  many  of  the  loss-producing  ailments 
that  are  mentioned  herein,  thus  aiding  in  the 
production  of  those  food  products  that  are  so 
essential  for  the  maintenance  of  the  general 
public,  then  his  purpose  will  have  been  ful- 
filled and  his  work  well  done. 

The  author  is  especially  indebted  to  all  those 
parties  who  have  contributed  their  encourage- 
ment and  support  and  to  the  Burton  Publish- 
ing Co.,  whose  aid  has  been  almost  invaluable. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  1 .  How  to  produce  clean  milk— good 
features  of  score  card — Health  of  cows 
— Dairyman  and  his  employes-Grading 
suggested — Average  inspector. 

Page  11 
"      2.     Home    Pasteurization    of 

milk.  "    20 

"      3.    The  need  of  municipal  milk 

inspection.  "    22 

"      4.    Milk  for  infant  feeding.  "    28 

"      5.    Keeping  the  cow  warm.         "    32 
"      6.    Keeping  the  cow  clean.  "    34 

•'      7.     Construction  of  the  barn.      "     45 
"      8.    Equipment  of  the  dairy  barn    "    48 
9.    Cleaning  the  barn.  "    51 

"     10.    The  average  farm  cow.  "    56 

**    11.    How  to  select  a  good  cow.    "    60 
"     12.    Caring  for  the  sick  cow.  "    92 

"     13.    Feeding  the  sick  cow.  "    98 

"    14.    Diseases  of  respiratory  sys- 
tem-Cold in  the  head-Bleed- 
from     the     nose-Bronchitis- 
Pleurisy-Pneumonia-Heaves.      "  105 
"    15.    Diseases  of  digestive  system 
9 


10  The  Cow  tn  Health  and  Disease. 

—Salivation  or  slobbering--The 
teeth "Inflamation  of  the  mouth 
—Sore  throat-Mumps-Choke- 
Over-feeding-Loss  of  appetite 
Bloat— Dyspepsia— Depraved 
appetite— Colic-Impaction  of 
rumen.  "  1C9 

16.  Diseases  of  cows  udder- 
Bloody  milk-TuberculosiS" 
Tumors  of  udder-Suppression 
of  milk-Simple  mammitis-In- 
fectious  mammitis.  "  116 

"  18  Retention  of  the  Placenta  123 

"  18   Lumpy  Jaw  128 

"  19  Milk  Fever  130 

"  20  Stirility  of  Cows  135 


jr^^ 


CHAPTER  I. 

HOW  TO  PRODUCE  CLEAN  MILK. 

What  a  wonderful  thing  a  beautiful  and  use- 
ful theory  is  when  it  can  be  applied  in  a  prac- 
tical way.  How  many  times,  however,  have 
results  obtained  greatly  and  positively  ex- 
ploded the  necessity  of  some  of  our  best  theo- 
ries. We  feel  that  the  government  score-card 
for  the  inspection  of  dairies  is  an  ideal  system 
when  it  can  be  used  as  it  should  be  and  when 
the  results  are  all  that  can  be  obtained  by  its 
use.  In  practice,  however,  it  requires  more 
than  conformity  to  given  regulations,  in  many 
cases,  to  obtain  desired  results.  Especially  is 
this  true  of  the  dairy  business.  You  can  fur- 
nish a  dairyman  with  an  equipment  that  con- 
forms to  the  score-card  of  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture,  and  still  his  neigh- 
bor across  the  road  who  can  not  produce  milk 
to  meet  the  Federal  score-card  test  is  produc- 
ing a  much  better  grade  of  milk  than  the  for- 
mer. Clean  milk  depends  upon  the  individual 
and  not  upon  his  equipment. 

It  is  a  good  thing  to  have  buildings  and 

n 


12  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

equipment  to  conform  with  the  regulations  that 
have  been  worked  out  by  the  United  States  of- 
ficials, but  too  many  times  the  equipment  is 
considered  all  that  is  necessary  to  produce  high 
grade  milk.  Thus,  many  men  who  really  are 
producing  a  high  grade  of  milK  are  receiving 
no  more  than  any  one  else,  and  men  wdth  good 
equipment  are  producing  a  much  inferior  milk 
and  receiving  the  price  that  really  should  go  to 
the  other  man.  We  have  always  felt  that  it 
is  an  unjust  discrimination  against  many  dairy- 
men to  prohibit  them  from  competing  with 
other  men  who  maintained  a  more  elaborate 
and  expensive  equipment.  It  seems  to  us  that 
quality  should  govern  the  production  of  market 
milk  in  all  cases. 

Good  Features  of  Score-Card. 

Enforcing  the  score-card  system  of  inspec- 
ing  dairies  has  some  very  good  features  to  com- 
mend it.  It  enables  the  producer  to  produce 
good  quality  milk  with  less  labor  and  at  less 
cost  than  with  less  complete  equipment,  and 
beside  the  esthetic  effect  on  the  individuals 
that  consume  the  product  has  some  little  bear- 
ing. You  will  agree  with  me  that  milk  that  is 
produced  from  a  dairy  where  all  of  the  build- 
ings are  neat  and  well  kept,  the  cows  are  clean, 
all  the  attendants  are  dressed  clean  and  every- 
thing is  spick  and  span,  will  appeal  to  most  in- 
dividuals as  just  the  kind  that  they  desire, 
while  it  may  not  be  nearly  so  wholesome  or 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  13 

free  from  dangerous  disease  germs  as  that  pro- 
duced by  his  neighbor  just  across  the  way  who 
does  not  have  such  extensive  equipment  or 
make  such  a  pleasing  appearance.  While  horse 
meat  may  be  almost  if  not  altogether  as  palat- 
able as  beef,  yet  most  of  us  would  hesitate  or 
even  refuse  to  eat  it  simply  from  our  esthetic 
feeling  toward  it. 

The  Federal  score-card  calls  for  a  perfect 
score  of  100 — 40  to  the  equipment  and  60  to  the 
methods.  From  the  reasons  just  given  and 
from  results  actually  obtained,  we  feel  that  it 
would  no  doubt  be  better  if  a  much  larger  to- 
tal, say  80  or  85  points,  be  devoted  to  methods. 
For  after  all,  a  perfectly  equipped  dairy  with 
faulty  methods  will  not  produce  a  high  grade 
market  milk,  and  hence  we  feel  that  even  more 
stress  should  be  laid  upon  the  methods. 

Health  of  Cows. 

The  first  thing  under  the  methods  in  the 
dairy  that  should  receive  attention  should  be 
the  health  of  the  cows.  Since  we  know  that 
tuberculosis  is  so  common  among  dairy  cows 
and  that  many  cases  of  tuberculosis  among  in- 
fants are  contracted  from  infected  cow's  milk 
we  feel  that  no  one  should  be  allowed  to  offer 
milk  for  sale  for  human  consumption  unless 
sure  that  the  cows  that  produced  it  are  free 
from  tuberculosis.  Cows  that  are  affected 
with  other  contagious  or  infectious  diseases 
such  as  leucorrhea  or  whites,  or  cows  with  one 


ti  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

or  more  quarters  affected  with  garget,  can  not 
be  expected  to  produce  a  clean  milk.  The  first 
and  most  essential  thing  is  to  get  a  clean  bill 
of  health  for  the  cow  that  is  secreting  the  milk, 
as  it  is  impossible  to  get  clean,  wholesome, 
germ-free  milk  from  a  diseased  cow. 

After  the  cows  have  been  found  to  be  healthy 
it  then  becomes  the  duty  of  the  dairyman  to 
keep  them  healthy.  Here  is  where  education 
and  instruction  along  sanitary  and  hygienic 
lines  may  do  the  most  good.  Any  inspector 
of  dairies  should  make  this  one  of  his  chief 
aims — to  point  out  to  the  man  who  has  cows 
under  his  care  the  relation  of  sunlight,  fresh 
air,  good  feed,  regular  feeding,  cleanliness  an^ 
exercise  to  the  health  of  his  cows  and  the  eco- 
nomic importance  of  observing  these  necessary 
rules  for  maintaining  the  health  of  his  cows. 
This  should  be  just  as  much  the  duty  of  an  in- 
spector as  the  scoring  of  the  methods  and 
equipment  of  the  dairy.  As  soon  as  a  man 
learns  definitely  that  unhealthy  cows  will  not 
yield  a  profit,  he  will  refuse  to  keep  them  and 
you  will  have  then  done  more  real  good  and 
accomplished  more  through  educating  this 
man  than  you  would  ever  have  accomplished 
through   compulsory   legislative  procedures. 

Dairyman  and  His  Employes. 

Many  times  we  wonder  whether  or  not  a 
closer  attention  to  the  dairyman  and  his  em- 
ployes would  be  productive  of  much  more  good 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  15 

than  could  possibly  result  from  the  inspection 
of  his  equipment.  The  dairyman  must  know- 
that  cleanliness  of  his  cows,  the  utensils  in 
which  the  milk  is  handled  and  of  the  persons 
handling  it  must  be  observed.  He  must  bring 
himself  to  realize  that  milk  is  one  of  the  most 
easily  contaminated  foods  that  we  have  and 
that  a  matter  of  a  very  short  time  is  sufficient 
for  contamination  to  take  place.  He  must  be 
educated  into  seeing  that  carefulness,  cleanli- 
ness and  speed  in  handling  milk  will  go  a  long 
way  toward  eliminating  many  of  the  causes  of 
an  impure  product.  A  man  can  keep  his  uten- 
sils clean,  can  keep  his  cows  clean,  and  can 
keep  himself  clean  in  very  ordinary  surround- 
ings, and  for  that  reason  w^e  contend  that  the 
equipment  has  very  little  to  do  with  the  qual- 
ity of  the  milk.  It  is  the  methods  that  count. 
Whenever  you  find  a  man  who  has  good  meth- 
ods about  the  dairy,  you  can  overlook  the 
equipment  and  say  to  yourself  that  there  is  a 
man  who  is  producing  good  milk. 

Grading  Suggested. 

Since  it  is  first-class  quality  milk  that  is  de- 
sired we  can  not  see  why  a  systematic  plan  of 
grading  milk  could  not  be  worked  out  and  suc- 
cessfully applied.  Of  course,  this  would  make 
necessary  a  great  deal  of  laboratory  work,  and 
such  tests  would  need  to  be  made  at  intervals 
that  would  allow^  the  laboratory  worker  time 
to  test  all  the  samples  under  his  supervision. 


16  The  Cow  m  Health  and  Disease. 

The  time  at  which  the  tests  should  be  made 
could  be  determined  by  the  one  doing  the  test- 
ing and  it  would  possibly  be  best  not  to  inform 
the  producer  as  to  when  this  test  was  to  be 
made. 

Such  a  test  should  include  butter-fat,  con- 
tent of  solids  not  fat,  total  solids,  a  bacterial 
count,  a  sediment  test  and  keeping  qualities. 
A  standard  could  be  determined  and  a  sliding 
scale  of  prices  could  be  paid  for  the  milk  ac- 
cording to  the  test  that  it  might  show.  We 
think  that  such  a  test  should  be  made  of  a 
composite  sample  or  samples  of  milk  from 
each  dairy  no  less  than  four  times  during  the 
year.  It  might  be  advisable  under  certain 
conditions  that  might  arise  from  weather  con- 
ditions or  other  local  conditions  to  make  the 
test  oftener  than  this.  By  making  such  a  test, 
all  producers  of  milk  are  on  an  equal  competi- 
tive basis,  but  as  long  as  the  equipment  and 
methods  are  placed  first  and  quality  last,  many 
men  are  being  used  unjustly  and  many  others 
are  receiving  what  should  justly  belong  to 
some  one  else. 

This  would  also  be  the  fairest  of  all  systems 
for  the  consumer  and  also  the  most  economical 
as  the  consumer  would  then  pay  for  only  what 
he  got  and  no  more.  We  can  hardly  under- 
stand why  any  producer  of  milk  would  object 
to  this  unless  it  should  be  some  one  producing 
milk  of  such  poor  quality  that  it  was  barely 
slipping  by  the  present  regulations  and  under 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  17 

the  suggested  regulations  he  would  have  to 
sell  his  milk  as  of  such  poor  quality  that  he 
would  get  less  than  now.  I  am  quite  sure  that 
the  majority  of  dairymen  would  welcome  such 
a  method. 

We  can  hardly  see  why  such  work  as  this 
could  not  well  be  handled  by  the  Federal  gov- 
ernment, the  same  as  they  are  now  performing 
the  systematic  inspection  of  all  animals  killed 
for  food  purposes  at  the  slaughter  houses  that 
do  an  interstate  business.  If  the  Federal  gov- 
ernment performed  this  inspection  they  would 
be  enabled  to  work  out  a  better  and  uniform 
system,  on  account  of  the  many  experts  that 
they  already  have  and  due  to  the  fact  that  they 
\\'ould  have  so  much  larger  fields  in  which  to 
work  out  their  plans.  They  could  and  would, 
in  most  instances,  secure  more  competent  m.en 
to  do  the  work,  as  they  would  no  doubt  secure 
them  from  civil  service  examination.  As  they 
would  have  the  entire  country  to  draw  from, 
pay  good  wag^3  and  exempt  the  positions  from 
political  interference  a  better  class  of  men 
would  seek  the  positions. 

Average  Inspector. 

The  average  inspector  is  very  unpopular  with 
most  dairymen  and  there  are  several  reasons 
for  this.  In  the  first  place,  too  many  inspec- 
tors are  inspectors  in  name  only  and  do  not 
have  the  ability  that  one  should  have  to  per- 
form such  duties.     They  lose  favor  with  the 


18  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

dairyman  because  they  place  so  much  impor- 
tance upon  minor  and  unimportant  matters, 
at  the  same  time  overlooking  things  that  are 
really  important.  The  practical  dairyman  is 
quick  to  see  such  mistakes.  x\lso,  too  many 
inspectors  seem  to  think  that  the  score-card  is 
all  there  is  to  the  inspection  of  a  dairy  and 
after  that  is  done  their  work  is  ended.  A  suc- 
cessful inspector  must  know  something  about 
cows,  more  than  he  has  read  in  books. 

Too  many  of  our  inspectors  are  city  boys 
who  have  taken  a  veterinary  course ;  then  got- 
ten "just  such  a  job."  Very  few  of  this  class 
meet  with  the  approval  of  the  men  among 
whom  they  work.  An  inspector  must  not  be 
arrogant  and  ready  to  show  authority  at  every 
turn,  but  must  bring  the  dairyman  to  realize 
that  he  is  working  for  his  best  interests  and 
that  he  is  always  ready  to  give  any  advice  that 
might  help  in  any  way.  It  requires  an  abun- 
dance of  tact  and  judgment  to  perform  such 
duties  intelligently  and  effectively. 

In  many  towns  and  cities  you  will  find  lay 
inspectors  with  no  training  of  any  kind  but 
who  secure  their  positions  through  politics. 
Such  positions  are  worse  than  useless  and 
should  be  abolished  at  once  as  they  do  much 
more  harm  than  good,  as  very  few  individuals 
will  permit  without  much  resentment,  such  in- 
dividuals to  have  authority  over  them.  We 
feel  that  men  should  be  especially  trained  and 
qualified   for   dairy    inspection    work.     When 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  19 

we  have  worked  out  a  satisfactory  plan  that 
is  fair  to  both  the  consumer  and  producer  and 
have  men  who  can  really  do  the  work  as  in- 
spectors that  they  should  do  and  as  it  should 
be  done — then  we  feel  that  the  milk  question 
will  be  on  a  somewhat  more  solid  foundation 
than  it  is  at  the  present  time. 


CHAPTER  11. 

HOME  PASTEURIZATION  OF  MILK. 

For  large  children  and  adults  the  following 
method  may  be  used.  Take  a  small  pail  and 
get  a  shallow  pan  such  as  a  pie  tin  and  punch 
holes  through  it  and  place  it  in  the  bottom  of 
the  pail.  This  leaves  a  space  between  the  bot- 
tom of  the  pail  and  the  bottom  of  the  bottles 
and  allows  of  a  free  circulation  of  water. 
Punch  a  hole  through  the  cap  of  one  of  the 
bottles  and  insert  a  thermometer.  Use  one 
with  the  scale  etched  on  the  glass  as  they  are 
more  accurate  than  the  ordinary  floating-  ther- 
mometer, and  then  place  water  in  the  pail  al- 
most to  the  level  of  the  milk;  the  pail  should 
then  be  placed  over  the  flames  and  heat  until 
the  thermometer  registers  155  at  which  time 
the  bottles  should  be  removed  from  the  water 
and  covered  with  a  clean  towel  and  allowed  to 
stand  from  20  to  30  minutes.  Place  a  new  cap 
on  the  bottle  with  the  punctured  cap  or  cover 
by  inverting  a  cup.  Then  place  in  a  pail  of 
warm  water  and  add  cold  w^ater  until  there 
is  no  danger  of  breaking  the  bottles  from  the 

20 


The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  21 

cold  and  place  in  refrigerator  and   keep   cool 
and  use  as  soon  as  possible. 

In  pasteurizing  milk  for  babies  it  is  well  to 
use  the  nursing  bottles,  as  this  saves  a  great  deal 
of  work  and  danger  of  contaminating  the  milk 
from  handling.  Take  as  many  nursing  bottles 
as  there  will  be  feedings  and  it  is  good  policy 
to  have  an  extra  one  as  one  often  gets  broken, 
and  if  they  have  no  seals,  plug  with  ordinary 
cotton  and  the  thermometer  may  be  held  in 
one  of  them  by  the  cotton  plug.  Place  over 
the  fire  and  heat  until  the  thermometer  reg- 
isters between  145  and  150  degrees,  and  then 
remove  the  bottles  from  the  fire  and  insert 
the  thermometer  in  the  v/ater  which  will  be 
found  to  be  much  higher  in  temperature  than 
the  milk,  and  add  cold  water  until  the  water 
is  from  145  to  150  degrees  and  then  cover  with 
a  clean  cloth  and  let  stand  20  minutes.  Then 
cool  with  water  to  ordinary  temperature  and 
then  pack  broken  ice  around  the  bottles  and 
place  in  the  refrigerator  until  ready  for  use, 
when  it  may  be  warmed  to  the  required  tem- 
perature. If  the  milk  is  fed  in  a  modified  form 
this  should  be  done  before  it  is  pastuerized. 
It  the  bottles  are  warmed  and  then  not  used 
the  milk  should  be  thrown  away. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  NEED   OF   MUNICIPAL  MILK  IN- 
SPECTION. 

yiilk  and  meat  as  foods  have  received  much 
more  consideration  at  the  hands  of  investi- 
gators as  food  products,  because  they  are  used 
as  food  by  many  more  people  than  any  of  the 
other  food  products,  and  because  milk  is  pri- 
marily a  food  for  the  young.  Cows  milk  is 
especially  much  used  in  the  cities  as  food  for 
the  babies,  where  many  of  them  are  bottle 
fed.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  procurement  of 
a  wholesome  and  pure  milk  for  the  people, 
and  one  that  is  cheap  and  nutritious,  for  the 
people  of  our  country,  and  especially  for  the 
babies,  would  be  a  work  in  which  any  one 
should  feel  proud  to  be  engaged  and  should 
receive  more  consideration  at  the  hands  of 
veterinarians  than  it  does.  Too  many  of  us 
veterinarians  do  not  pay  any  attention  to  mat- 
ters of  this  kind  simply  because  our  muni- 
cipalities do  not  make  provision  for  such  in- 
spection.   Milk  not  only  carries  disease  to  the 

22 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  23 

human  family,  but  it  decomposes  very  rapidly ; 
and,  besides,  there  are  many  people  who  are 
so  unscrupulous  as  to  adulterate  it  in  various 
ways.  By  careful  observations  and  tests, 
methods  have  been  perfected  by  which  these 
frauds  may  be  detected. 

It  was  formerly  thought  that  anything  to 
be  of  any  value  concerning  the  public  health 
must  come  from  the  regular  medical  practi- 
tioner, but  the  recent  advances  m  comparative 
pathology  and  therapeutics  have  taught  the 
people  that  the  individual  who  has  had  special 
ti  aining  along  such  lines  is  the  individual  that 
is  best  prepared  to  handle  the  situation,  and 
for  this  reason  the  veterinarian  is  better  fitted 
to  handle  the  inspection  of  milk  than  any 
other  because  he  has  had  special  training  in 
tlie  diseases  of  the  domestic  animals  and  dis- 
eased conditions  that  may  result  from  the  con- 
sumption of  some  of  their  food  products. 

In  the  production  of  milk  for  human  con- 
sumption, the  very  first  act  is  a  violation  of 
Nature's  law.  Nature  intended  that  the  young 
of  those  animals  who  nourished  their  young 
with  milk  should  draw  the  milk  directly  from 
the  udder.  Milk  in  being  drawn  by  hand  or 
any  other  artificial  means  for  the  use  of  those 
who  may  use  it  for  food  is  sure  to  undefgo 
more  or  less  contamination;  the  dirt  and  bac- 
teria on  the  teats,  the  loose  hairs  on  the  body, 
the  dandruff  from  the  skin,  the  particles  of 
dust  in  the  air  from  dusty    fodders  and  hay, 


^    ^  24  The   Cow  in  Health  and  DUease. 

y  ^  /  and  several  others  all  contribute  to  contami- 
^  nate  milk  when  it  is  artiiicially  drawn  for 
^*  human  consumption.     The  time   elapsing  be- 

tween the  drawing  of  milk  and  its  consumption 
and  the  rapidity  with  which  it  develops  bac- 
teria make  it  necessary  to  use  the  utmost  pre- 
caution in  handling  it.  When  calves  are  fe  1 
on  milk  from  the  co.v  drawn  artificially,  the 
contamination,  decomposition  and  irritant  prop- 
erties that  develop  oftentimes  prove  dangerous 
and  many  times  fatal  because  of  the  gastrio- 
intestinal  conditions  v.hich  they  cause.  In- 
fants often  suffer  with  this  same  condition,  and 
in  the  cities  where  bottle-fed  babies  are  com- 
mon, from  10  to  20  per  cent  of  the  infant 
funerals  are  from  this  cause  alone.  In  one  of 
the  large  cities  of  this  state  where  they  have 
had  competent  and  rigid  municipal  milk  in- 
spection, during  the  first  three  years  infant 
funerals  were  reduced  33  1/3  per  cent,  some 
record  to  be  proud  of,  we  should  think. 

The  stalls  where  cow^s  are  kept  should  be 
cleaned  some  time  before  milking,  so  that  the 
cows  may  be  well  bedded  down  and  the  dust 
have  time  to  settle  and  the  odors  to  banish ; 
.  the  attendant  who  does  the  milking  should  not 
smell  of  the  odors  of  other  farm  animals  with 
which  he  may  have  been  working  and  should 
wear  clean  clothing  and  should  have  clean 
hands.  It  is  a  common  practice  with  many 
milkers  to  go  to  milk  without  washing  and 
then  wet  the  hands  with  the  milk  during  the 


The  Cow  in  Hettlth  and   Disease.  25 

milking.  This  is  very  unsanitary  and  should  be 
discouraged.  The  cows  should  be  cleaned  be- 
fore milking  and  the  udder  wiped  with  a  damp 
cloth;  the  opening  in  the  top  of  the  pail  should 
be  as  small  as  possible  to  permit  milking,  as 
this  will  keep  much  dirt  from  getting  into  the 
milk;  the  pails  and  vessels  in  which  milk  is 
handled  should  be  so  constructed  that  the 
milk  could  not  collect  around  seams  and  thus 
be  a  breeding  ph  :e  for  bacteria  that  are  usually 
associated  wit^    milk. 

It  is  the  la*-'^e  dairies  that  furnish  milk  for 
the  people  ir  the  large  cities,  and  it  is  in  these 
large  dairie  that  the  cows  are  forced  for  a 
large  milk  j  reduction,  and  for  this  reason  they 
are  not  able  to  withstand  disease  as  well  as 
they  would  under  more  favorable  conditions, 
and  therefore  the  milk  from  such  cows  and 
the  cows  themselT«s  should  be  under  compe- 
tent inspection. 

Cows  that  have  diseased  udders  are  sure  to 
give  off  some  of  the  infection  when  the  milk 
is  drawn ;  also,  in  diseases  where  the  other 
eliminating  channels  are  not  working  properly, 
infection  and  poisonous  products  are  some- 
times given  off  with  the  milk.  We  feel  that 
many  of  the  diseases  of  infants  in  particular 
are  due  to  some  infection  in  the  milk,  especially 
where  they  are  fed  on  cows  milk,  due  to  strep- 
tococci and  other  virulent  strains  of  infection 
and  their  poisonous  products. 

The  reason  milk  is  not   recognized  as  the 


26  The  Cow  in  Health  and   Disease. 

cause  of  more  of  the  ailments  of  children,  than 
it  is,  is  due  to  the  fact  that  there  are  too  many 
doctors  who  do  not  make  enough  effort  to 
find  the  cause  of  many  of  these  conditions, 
being  very  willing  to  call  them  summer  com- 
plaint, indigestion,  etc. 

It  is  a  recognized  fact  by  a  large  number 
of  the  best  authorities  on  medicine  at  the  pres- 
ent time  that  bovine  tuberculosis  may  be,  and 
in  fact  is,  transmitted  to  human  beings  through 
the  milk  of  animals  infected  with  this  disease; 
this  affects  children  under  two  years  of  age 
principally,  although  older  children  and  occa- 
sionally adults  contract  the  disease  in  this 
way.  Dr.  Park,  an  eminent  physician  of  New 
York  City,  is  authority  for  the  statement  that 
the  bovine  type  of  tuberculosis  is  the  cause 
of  the  death  of  two  to  three  hundred  of  the 
infants  in  that  city  each  year;  a  mighty  hard 
blow  to  the  mothers  of  New  York  to  bear  for 
a  condition  that  could  be  remedied. 

Great  care  should  be  taken  in  the  produc- 
tion of  milk,  so  that  the  attendants  who  care 
for  the  cattle  do  not  infect  the  milk  with  va- 
rious diseases  with  which  they  may  be  asso- 
ciated, or  be  the  virus  carriers  for  them.  Many 
times  people  have  been  infected  with  typhoid 
fever,  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  etc.,  simply 
through  the  milk  that  they  have  consumed. 

The  water  in  which  the  utensils  are  cleaned 
should  be  pure  and  free  from  any  diseases  that 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  27 

might  render  the  milk  dangerous  to  public 
health. 

The  time  elapsing  between  the  drawing  of 
milk  and  its  being  consumed  by  our  city 
cousins  in  many  instances  is  several  hours,  and 
this  makes  it  all  the  more  necessary  to  have  a 
system  of  inspection  that  v-.ill  compel  the  pro- 
ducer to  make  the  necessary  provision  for  the 
proper  delivery  of  his  product  to  the  consumer. 

There  are  several  methods  used  by  those 
dealers  who  have  no  regard  for  fair  dealing  in 
adulterating  their  products,  and  where  inspec- 
tion is  maintained  these  frauds  can  be  detected 
and  the  person  punished  for  so  doing.  These 
consist  chiefly  of  artificial  preservatives  and 
flavors ;  and  watering  is  quite  a  common  prac- 
tice in  some  places  in  this  country. 

Many  of  the  conditions  mentioned  in  this 
article  could  and  would  be  greatly  benefited  by 
competent  municipal  inspection,  and  several  of 
them  could  be  eradicated,  and  by  so  doing 
would  be  a  great  protection  to  the  people  of 
the  municipality. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MILK    FOR    INFANT    FEEDING. 

While  milk  is  naturally  a  food  that  is  pri- 
marily intended  for  the  feeding  of  the  young 
of  all  the  mammalia  and  the  human  family  it 
does  not  always  hold  that  the  young,  especially 
the  babies,  receive  this  article  of  their  food  just 
as  they  should.  We  know  that  the  milk  from 
a  good  healthy  mother  is  the  best  food  for 
the  infant,  but,  for  many  reasons,  it  is  not 
always  possible  for  mothers  to  nurse  their 
babes,  and,  for  this  reason,  it  becomes  neces- 
sary for  them  to  do  the  best  they  can  under 
the  existing  conditions,  and  so  they  are  com- 
pelled to  resort  to  artificial  feeding  and  cow's 
milk  is  the  food  usually  selected. 

In  procuring  cow's  milk  for  the  baby,  it  is 
necessary  to  violate  nature's  laws,  as  nature 
intended  that  the  young  should  draw  the  milk 
directly  from  the  udder,  but  it  is  necessary  to 
draw  the  milk  from  the  cow  artificially  and 
then  deliver  it  to  the  baby.  In  the  cities,  this 
takes  several  hours  and,  as  milk  is  very  prone 
to  decompose,  it  is  plain  that  great  care  must 

28 


The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  29 

be  exercised  in  handling  it.  Milk  for  infant 
feeding  or  for  human  consumption  should  be 
produced  from  healthy  cows.  They  should  not 
have  diseased  udders.  They  should  be  kept  un- 
der sanitary  conditions,  and  they  should  have 
plenty  of  fresh  air  and  sunlight.  They  should 
be  kept  clean  and  the  region  of  the  flank  and 
the  udder  should  be  washed  with  a  damp  cloth 
and  dried  before  milking,  as  this  prevents  any 
dandruff  or  loose  hairs  or  other  dirt  from  falling 
into  the  bucket  while  milking.  The  attendant 
who  does  the  milking  should  have  clean  hands 
and  wear  clean  clothing  while  milking,  and 
should  not  be  around  people  infected  with  con- 
ta<Tious  diseases,  sush  as  diphtheria,  typhoid 
fever,  smallpox,  or  other  such  diseases. 

You  have  a  perfect  right  to  demand  this  much 
of  your  man  who  sells  you  milk  and  more,  too. 
The  milk  should  be  cooled  to  50  degrees  or  less 
as  soon  as  possible  after  it  is  drawn,  and  kept 
at  that  temperature  until  it  is  marketed.  The 
vessels  into  which  it  is  drawn  and  in  which  it 
is  stored  should  have  no  seams  around  which 
the  milk  might  collect  and  decompose.  In  the 
cities  which  have  a  provision  for  inspection  un- 
der competent  veterinarians  these  matters  will 
all  be  attended  to;  if  you  have  not  this  sort 
of  inspection,  now  is  the  time  to  advocate  it, 
and  do  not  give  up  until  you  have  secured  it. 

Not  all  the  fault  lies  with  the  dairyman,  how- 
ever. Many  people  do  not  care  for  their  milk 
properly   after   it   is   delivered  to   them.      Milk 


30  The   Cow  in  Health  and    Disease. 

should  be  placed  in  a  sterile  container,  away 
from  the  sunlight  and  dust,  and  in  a  place  hav- 
ing a  temperature  of  50  degrees  or  under  is 
still  better.  Do  not  place  it  in  an  ice  box  hav- 
ing a  bad  odor,  as  it  will  usually  absorb  much 
of  it.  Heat  favors  the  growth  of  bacteria  or 
disease  germs,  and,  as  there  are  many  in  the 
milk  at  all  times,  it  is  necessary  to  keep  milk 
at  a  low  temperature  to  keep  them  from  de- 
veloping. 

Pasteurized  milk  is  the  best  for  infant  feed- 
ing. The  aim  in  pasteurizing  milk  is  to  kill  as 
many  of  the  bacteria  as  possible  without  produc- 
ing a  chemical  change  in  the  milk.  It  has  been 
determined  that  during  this  process  that  the 
temperature  should  not  exceed  185°  F.,  nor  fall 
below  1 '0°  F.  To  pasteurize  milk  in  the  home, 
it  can  be  done  by  placing  the  milk  in  airtight 
bottles  or  in  bottles  which  have  been  stoppered 
with  sterilized  cotton  and  immersed  in  hot  water 
and  heated,  say  at  a  temperature  of  149°  F.  for 
one-half  hour  and  then  rapidly  cooled  to  50°  F. 
or  less;  or  heated  to  167°  F.  and  kept  at  that 
temperature  for  fifteen  minutes  and  then  cooled 
as  before.  It  is  now  possible  to  obtain  pasteur- 
ized milk  in  almost  all  of  the  larger  cities,  but 
then  the  milk  should  be  properly  cared  for  as 
if  plain  market  milk.  It  is  best  usually  to  pas- 
teurize your  milk  that  you  use  at  your  own  home. 
Sterilized  milk  is  milk  that  has  been  raised  to 
the  boiling  point  to  destroy  the  bacteria  in  it. 
This  can  only  be  successfully  done  by  heating 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease,  31 

the  milk  to  the  boiling  point  on  several  con- 
secutive days.  It  is  not  good  for  infant  feed- 
ing, as  it  produces  a  chemical  change  in  the 
digestive  ferments  of  the  milk. 

Certified  milk  is  that  which  is  certified  to  be 
of  certain  standard.  It  is  guaranteed  to  be  up  to 
the  standard  which  may  be  set  by  the  city  or 
the  dairyman  himself.  This  kind  of  milk  is 
very  safe. 

Modified  milk  is  prepared  especially  for  in- 
fants. In  cow's  milk  you  will  find  more  protein 
and  less  milk  sugar,  and  it  also  has  larger  fat 
globules,  and  there  is  more  casein  in  proportion 
than  there  is  albumen.  The  deficiency  in  milk 
sugar  can  be  remedied  by  adding  milk  sugar  or 
rice  flour,  or  arrow-root.  The  casein  may  be 
rendered  more  easily  digested  by  the  addition  of 
lime  water.  Most  infants  will  thrive  on  modified 
milk  when  the  whole  milk  is  injurious  to  them. 

Homogenized  milk  is  milk  that  has  been  forced 
through  capillary  tubes  with  great  force  against 
a  resisting  surface  with  sufficient  force  to  break 
up  the  milk  globules,  thus  producing  a  more  per- 
fect emulsion. 

There  are  many  infant  foods,  some  of  them 
containing  the  nutrients  of  milk,  and  some  that 
do  not.  But  there  are  some  of  them  good  and 
useful,  and  others  that  are  dangerous.  If  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  resort  to  artificial  feed- 
ing it  is  best  to  consult  a  physician  before  using 
a  prepared  food. 


CHAPTER  V. 

KEEPING  THE  COW  WARM. 

We  were  just  wondering  how  many  farm- 
ers, stockmen  and  dairymen  ever  stop  to  think 
of  just  what  effect  cold  has  upon  the  animals 
under  their  care. 

The  proper  housing  of  animals  of  all  kinds 
and  especially  milch  cows,  will  greatly  lessen 
the  amount  of  food  that  they  must  necessarily 
consume,  as  when  they  are  kept  in  cold  barns, 
that  have  draughts  and  cold  floors  upon  which 
the  animals  must  stand  and  lie  down  upon,  the 
animal  must  use  much  of  the  feed  that  is  con- 
sumed to  produce  warmth  for  its  body.  The 
cow  that  is  kept  under  such  conditions  or  un- 
der conditions  where  she  is  subject  to  sudden 
and  great  changes  in  the  temperature,  will  not 
produce  nearly  as  much,  as  though  she  was  kept 
in  a  nice  warm  barn,  and  could  use  this  feed 
that  would  be  used  to  produce  warmth,  for  the 
production  of  milk  instead. 

The,   drinking   of    cold   water,    especially   by 

82 


The  Cow  in  Health  and   Disease.  o3 

cows,  has  much  the  same  effect,  and  water  that 
is  given  cows  in  the  winter  time  should  if  pos- 
sible, be  heated  to  around  fifty  degrees  Fahren- 
heit. Cold  water  occassionally  causes  colic  in 
cow^s,  especially  in  the  winter  season.  Anyone  can 
well  afford  to  provide  a  means  of  heating  the 
water  for  the  cattle  to  drink  and  also  provide  a 
warm  comfortable  barn  for  them  during  the 
winter  months,  as  the  saving  in  feed  and  the 
increase  in  production  of  milk  and  of  fat  in  those 
that  are  not  milking  will  soon  pay  for  the  cost 
of  securing  the  same. 

The  feeding  of  frozen  feeds  has  much  the 
same  effect  as  the  drinking  of  cold  water  and 
is  very  apt  to  be  injurious  to  those  animals 
that  eat  it  and  for  that  reason  no  careful  and 
conscientious  feeder  of  cattle  would  think  of 
feeding  his  farm  animals  frozen  feed. 

Don't  forget  that  a  nice,  w^arm,  comfortable 
stable  is  a  good  investment  and  is  absolutely  nec- 
essary if  you  would  derive  the  profits  from  your 
cows  and  other  farm  animals  that  is  possible  and 
that  a  heater  for  your  watering  tank  is  another 
good   investment. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

KEEPING  THE  COW  CLEAN. 

There  are  many  reasons  why  cows  should 
be  kept  clean.  Not  only  should  they  be  kept 
clean  so  that  they  will  remain  more  healthy, 
but  it  will  be  a  very  important  factor  in  pro- 
ducing clean  milk. 

The  stall  where  the  cow  is  kept  should  be 
well  bedded  with  straw,  so  that  the  cow  will 
keep  herself  clean  and  to  lessen  the  risk  of 
becoming  sick  from  lying  on  the  cold  damp 
floor. 

The  cow  that  is  kept  clean  and  free  from 
dirt  will  not  be  so  apt  to  become  diseased  as 
the  cow  that  is  allowed  to  become  dirty  and 
remain  that  way.  The  skin  has  a  very  im- 
portant function  to  perform  in  maintaining  the 
health  of  the  cow  and  can  only  perform  this 
function  when  it  is  kept  free  from  dirt  and 
filth. 

The  skin  excretes  a  large  part  of  the  waste 
products  from  the  body  through  the  moisture 
that  passes  from  the  body  by  way  of  the  skin, 
and   helps   maintain   the   body   temperature   by 

34 


The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  S5 

cooling  the  blood  that  passes  through  the 
skin,  where  it  becomes  cooled  and  w  hen  it 
reaches  the  internal  parts  of  the  body  it  keeps 
it  at  a  uniform  temperature.  The  extra  feed 
that  will  be  required  for  the  cow  that  is  kept 
unclean  will  be  of  more  value  than  the  time 
and  expense  v  f  keeping  her  clean. 

The  cow  should  be  curried  and  brushed  at 
least  once  each  day  and  if  she  gets  dirty  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  can  not  be  brushed 
off  then  she  should  be  washed  and  dried  with 
a  coarse  cloth.  Where  electricity  is  available 
and  the  number  of  cows  \.ili  warrant  the  ex- 
pense an  electric  machine  may  be  procured  for 
cleaning  the  cows.  It  is  very  easil}-  operated, 
saves  time  and  is  very  satisfactory. 

Construction  of  the  Barn. 

The  first  thing  to  be  thought  of  in  construct- 
irg  the  dairy  barn,  is  the  health  of  the  cows,  as 
cows  that  can  not  be  kept  healthy  are  being  kept 
at  a  loss  and  besides  the  products  that  are  se- 
cured from  them  are  dangerous  to  those  who 
consume  them.  The  things  that  are  necessary 
for  keeping  the  cows  healthy  are  plenty  of  air 
space  as  each  cow  must  have  plenty  of  fresh 
air  at  all  times,  so  the  barn  should  be  so  con- 
structed as  to  provide  1,000  cubic  feet  of  air  space 
for  each  cow.  The  next  thing  is  plenty  of  light 
as  cows  kept  in  dark  stables  do  not  produce  well 
and  besides  they  are  not  easily  kept  sanitary,  as 
sunlight    can    not    get    in    its    v.ork,    therefore 


36  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disiose. 

there  should  be  four  square  feet  of  light  for 
each  cow. 

Cows  that  are  uncomfortable  are  not  able  to 
produce  as  much  as  they  otherwise  would, 
therefore  the  stalls  should  be  of  sufficient 
width  and  length  that  the  cow  will  be  com- 
fortable when  lying  doAU,  but  only  of  such 
length  that  the  droppings  will  fall  into  the 
manure  pit  and  not  upon  the  floor  where  the 
cow  will  become  soiled.  The  size  of  the  stall 
will  vary  some  for  different  sized  cows.  A 
very  large  cow  needing  a  floor  about  5  feet  2 
inches  long  and  3  feet  v^ride,  while  a  smaller 
cow  will  require  one  about  4  feet  6  inches 
long  and  3  feet  wide.  The  stanchion  should 
be  of  a  swinging  variety  so  that  the  animal 
can  get  its  head  in  a  comfortable  position 
while  lying  down. 

The  ventilation  is  one  of  the  most  important 
things  to  be  considered  as  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  change  the  air  and  have  it  replaced 
by  pure  fresh  air  at  frequent  inter^-als,  if  we 
would  keep  the  cows  healthy.  The  ceiling 
should  under  no  consideration  be  too  low. 

The  barn  should  be  constructed  of  material 
that  can  be  thoroughly  and  easily  cleaned  and 
thoroughly  disinfected.  For  this  reason  concrete 
and  steel  have  become  much  more  popular  in 
the  construction  of  dairy  barns  than  wood. 
The  cow  barn  should  be  located  where  the 
drainage  is  good  and  away  from  any  out-build- 
ings that  are  apt  to  give  off  an  offensive  odor. 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  87 

There  should  be  no  high  sills  v\  here  the  cows 
must  step  over  them  or  they  may  injure  their 
.  udder  in  this  way. 

An  up-to-date  cow  barn  should  contain  one 
or  more  large  box  stalls  for  cows  that  are 
calving  and  one  or  more  calf  stalls,  where  the 
calves  may  be  kept  after  they  are  weaned. 

Up  to  the  present  time  concrete  or  brick 
are  much  more  satisfactory  for  the  floors  of 
the  cow  stable  than  wood  and  is  used  in  almost 
all  new  stables  that  are  being  built  now.  They 
last  much  longer,  require  very  little  or  no  re- 
pair and  can  be  easily  and  thoroughly  cleaned 
and  disinfected. 

Equipment  of  the  Dairy  Earn. 

Several  firms  make  a  special  equipnient  for 
the  cow  barn  and  this  equipment  is  made  of 
steel.  This  is  practically  indestructible,  is  neat 
in  appearance,  but  very  little  more  expensive 
than  wood  fixtures,  more  compact,  easily 
cleaned  and  kept  clean,  is  not  injured  by  damp- 
ness or  disinfectants  and  is  much  more  sani- 
tary. 

The  stanchions  are  usually  swung  from  both 
top  and  bottom  by  a  short  chain  and  this  gives 
the  cow  much  comfort  when  eating  and  while 
lying  down.  The  feed  troughs  are  so  con- 
structed as  to  be  easily  cleaned  and  being 
tightly  constructed  they  eliminate  the  waste  of 
grain  and  semi-solid  foods. 

One  of  the  latest  as  well  as  one  of  the  best 


38  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

of  the  modern  fixtures  that  may  be  found  in 
the  cow  barn  is  the  individual  watering  trough 
or  bowl  which  is  kept  partly  filled  with  water 
at  all  times  and  is  so  constructed  that  the 
water  flows  into  it  as  it  is  being  drank  by  the 
cow  and  remains  at  a  given  level.  This  en- 
ables the  cow  to  have  .vater  at  any  time  she 
may  wish  it. 

During  the  summer  months  if  the  cows  are 
kept  stabled  the  placing  of  screens  over  the 
windows  and  doors  will  pay  for  themselves 
several  times  over  in   increased  production. 

Tuberculosis. 

Tuberculosis  is  one  of  the  most  widely 
spread  contagious  diseases  of  any  of  the  do- 
mestic animals  and  this  is  very  forcibly 
brought  to  mind  from  the  large  number  of 
carcasses  and  parts  of  carcasses  that  are  con- 
demned each  year  at  the  different  abbatoirs. 
The  percentage  of  tuberculosis  is  much  greater 
in  dairy  cattle  than  it  is  in  beef  cattle  and 
this  can  be  explained  in  this  way.  Dairy  cows 
have  the  added  work  of  producing  milk  and 
in  addition  to  this  they  must  furnish  nourish- 
ment during  several  months  of  the  year  for 
the  unborn  young  which  is  developing.  This 
would  necessarily  lower  the  resistance  of  the 
dairy  cow  much  more  than  that  of  the  beef 
animal.  The  loss  in  the  United  States  in  a 
single  year  amounts  to  many  millions  of  dol- 
lars, but  the  greatest  factor  to  be  thought  of 


The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  39 

is  the  fact  that  it  can  l)e  and  is  trarismitled 
to  human  beings.  The  percentage  of  tubercu- 
losis among  milk  cows  will  be  about  ten  per 
cent. 

Even  though  tuberculosis  was  not  trans- 
missible to  human  beings  it  would  be  desirable 
to  eradicate  it  from  among  our  co  v.s  from  an 
economic  standpoint,  as  it  often  destroys  cat- 
tle outright  by  killing  its  victim,  reduces  the 
market  value  of  the  animal,  lessens  the  produc- 
tion, injures  the  reputation  of  the  animals  for 
breeding  purposes  and  carries  infection  to  oth- 
er farm  animals. 

The  Cause  of  Tuberculosis. 

Tuberculosis  is  caused  by  a  small  germ 
called  by  the  same  name  tuberculosis,  but  it  is 
spoken  of  as  bacterin  tuberculosis  in  literature 
to  indicate  that  it  is  a  small  rod  shaped  germ. 
This  germ  was  discovered  in  1882  by  Dr. 
Robert  Koch,  but  at  that  time  it  was  thought 
of  as  a  disease  affecting  people  only  and  that 
there  was  only  one  form  of  germ  that  was 
responsible  for  tuberculosis  wherever  found, 
but  it  has  been  determined  that  while  tuber- 
culosis may  be  transmitted  from  animal  to  man 
that  the  tuberculosis  germ  that  affects  cows 
and  that  which  affects  human  beings  are  two 
separate  and  distinct  germs,  but  are  very 
similar  in  characteristics. 

The  germ  that  causes  tuberculosis  is  very 
small  and  can  only  be  seen  by  a  high  powered 


40  The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

microscope  and  it  would  take  several  thou- 
sand of  them  placed  end  to  end  to  make  a 
column  one  inch  long. 

Nature  of  Tuberculosis. 

Tuberculosis  is  thought  by  many  to  be  dis- 
tinctly a  condition  affecting  the  lungs  but 
such  is  not  the  case.  It  may  be  found  in  any 
part  or  any  organ  of  the  body.  The  condition 
may  be  quite  extensive  or  it  may  be  so  slight 
as  to  be  almost  unnoticeable. 

It  is  frequently  found  in  the  membranes  lin- 
ing the  abdominal  cavity  and  the  cavity  sur- 
rounding the  lungs  and  when  so  it  usually 
has  the  appearance  of  very  small  rounded 
nodules  which  may  be  very  thickly  studded 
over  the  surface  or  may  be  very  few  in  num- 
bers. These  small  nodules  have  the  appearance 
of  pearls  hence  this  condition  has  often  been 
spoken  of  as  "Pearly  Disease." 

In  other  cows  the  lymph  glands  which  are 
situated  throughout  the  body  are  affected  and 
the  substance  which  they  contain  is  cheesy  like 
in  appearance  and  when  cut  into  seems  gritty. 
The  lymph  glands  are  those  little  glands  situ- 
ated in  the  thin  membranous  curtain  which 
holds  the  intestines  in  position.  They  are  also 
found  along  the  top-most  portion  of  the  lung 
and  many  other  parts  of  the  body.  They  range 
in  size  from  a  kernel  of  wheat  to  the  size  of  a 
small  hickory  nut. 

\\'hen   the  lungs   are   affected  they  become 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  41 

heavy  and  solid  and  light  in  color  and  usually 
contain  large  quantities  of  pus  and  also  por- 
tions of  the  lung  will  have  become  necrotic 
and  broken  down.  This  process  gradually 
spreads  but  it  sometimes  requires  several 
months  to  bring  about  the  death  of  the  animal. 
These  lesions  may  also  be  found  inside  the 
bones,  within  the  spinal  cord  or  the  brain  and 
this  is  the  reason  that  some  animals  are  killed 
after  reacting  to  the  tuberculin  test  and  no 
sisfns  of  the  disease  can  be  found. 

Symptoms  of  Tuberculosis. 

It  may  seem  very  strange  to  hear  it  said 
that  there  are  no  symptoms  by  which  tuber- 
culosis can  be  recognized  with  any  certainty  in 
the  live  cow  but  such  is  the  case.  There  are 
cases  of  tuberculosis  in  which  a  diagnosis  can 
be  made,  but  these  cases  are  usually  very  pro- 
nounced cases  and  are  also  very  rare.  There 
are  very  many  symptoms  that  would  make  one 
suspicious  of  tuberculosis,  but  many  times 
these  are  not  noticeable;  we  have  observed 
many  surprised  cow  owners  when  having  their 
herds  tested,  at  the  large  number  of  reactors 
that  were  found.  Since  about  10  per  cent  of 
the  cows  in  the  United  States  are  thought  to 
be  tubercular,  it  is  well  to  suspect  this  disease 
in  all  untested  cows  that  show  any  signs  of  a 
constitutional  disturbance  that  tends  to  be 
chronic. 

Cows  that  lose  flesh  and  remain  thin  even 


42  The   Cow  in  Hemlth  and    Disease. 

with  good  care  and  feed ;  that  have  a  dry  harsh 
coat  of  hair  that  is  stareing;  that  have  an  irre- 
gular appetite,  or  digestive  troubles ;  those  that 
fail  to  get  with  calf  ;  that  cough  and  appear  to 
be  weak  and  listless,  can  very  safely  be  sus- 
picioned  as  being  tubercular. 

The  Tuberculin  Test. 

The  only  positive  way  of  finding  out  whether 
a  cow  has  tuberculosis  or  not  is  to  have  her 
tested  by  a  competent  veterinarian.  In  our 
opinion  no  one  save  one  who  has  had  a  veteri- 
nary training  can  successfully  make  the  tuber- 
culin test,  and  for  that  reason  we  can  not 
give  the  method  of  making  the  test  here. 

The  tuberculin  test  has  proven  to  be  more 
than  98  per  cent  correct  from  many  thousands 
of  tests  that  have  been  followed  by  the  post- 
mortem on  the  tested  animals. 

There  are  two  methods  of  making  this  test 
that  are  being  used  today;  they  are  the  tem- 
perature test  and  intra-dermal  test.  In  mak- 
ing the  temperature  test  which  is  the  only  one 
recognized  by  the  United  States  government 
and  many  of  the  states,  the  tuberculin  is  in- 
jected under  the  skin  and  beginning  several 
hours  afterward  the  temperature  is  taken  sev- 
eral times  at  regular  intervals.  An  elevation 
of  temperature  of  2  degrees  above  the  norma) 
temperature  of  the  animal  before  the  injection 
of  tuberculin  is  considered  a  reaction  and  the 
cow  is  tubercular.    In  the  other  method  a  very 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  43 

small  needle  is  used  and  a  concentrated  tuber- 
culin is  used  and  is  injected  between  the  two 
layers  of  the  skin.  This  injection  is  usually 
made  in  the  fold  of  skin  reaching  from  the 
tail  to  the  anus.  An  enlargement  or  thicken- 
ing of  this  fold  of  skin  indicates  that  the  animal 
is  tubercular.  The  latter  method  can  be  more 
easily  applied  and  we  believe  just  as  positive 
in  its  reactions.  It  requires  a  greater  expe- 
rience to  enable  the  veterinarian  to  use  the 
intra-dermal  or  the  skin  test. 

^lany  cow  owners  are  of  the  opinion  that 
the  tuberculin  test  is  harmful  to  their  cows, 
but  nothing  could  be  farther  from  the  truth  as 
there  can  not  possibly  be  a  live  germ  in  the 
tuberculin  after  it  is  prepared  and  ready  to  use. 
In  the  preparation  of  tuberculin  it  is  boiled 
several  times  and  also  filtered  through  the 
finest  porcelain  filters  which  are  capable  of 
holding  up  any  germs  that  can  be  seen  by  the 
aid  of  a  microscope.  So  it  is  well  to  keep  in 
mind  that  tuberculin  can  not  possibly  do  your 
cows  any  harm  and  that  it  is  the  only  reliable 
method  that  we  have  of  determining  the  pres- 
ence of  tuberculosis  in  the  cow. 

The  Control  of  Tuberculosis. 

After  we  have  learned  that  a  cow  has  tuber- 
culosis or  that  a  herd  of  cows  have  tubercular 
ones  among  them,  the  question  of  the  best  way 
to  dispose  of  them,  comes  to  our  attention. 
1  here  are  many  things  that  govern  this,  among 


44  The   Cow  in  Health  and    Disease. 

them  being  the  value  of  the  animal,  the  ex- 
tent of  the  disease,  the  value  of  the  animal  for 
breeding  purpose,  etc. 

If  the  herd  is  very  small  and  the  cattle  are 
of  common  type  and  of  ordinary  value  the  best 
thing  to  do  is  to  send  them  to  some  abbattoir 
that  has  government  inspection  and  sell  them 
subject  to  inspection  and  in  this  way  you  will 
receive  just  what  they  are  worth  to  the  packer 
as  shown  by  the  inspection. 

If  there  is  only  a  few  animals  out  of  a  large 
herd  that  are  found  to  be  diseased  they  can 
be  separated  from  the  well  ones  and  the  others 
retested  at  intervals  of  six  months  while  the 
diseased  ones  should  be  destroyed. 

If  the  herd  contains  some  valuable  breed- 
ing animals  that  are  tubercular  they  may  be 
separated  from  those  that  are  well  and  kept 
in  separate  stables  and  separate  pastures  and 
the  calves  as  soon  as  dropped  are  removed 
and  fed  upon  the  milk  of  healthy  nurse  cows  or 
on  pasteurized  milk.  In  this  way  diseased 
cows  can  many  times  produce  a  number  of 
valuable  calves  and  help  build  up  the  herd. 
By  this  method  which  is  known  as  the  Bang 
method  it  is  often  possible  to  realize  a  reason- 
able salvage  on  some  valuable  breeding  cows. 

Regardless  of  the  method  that  is  used  in  dis- 
posing of  the  tubercular  cows,  a  thorough  dis- 
infection of  the  barn  in  which  these  animals 
have  been  kept  should  be  performed  as  soon  as 
they  are  removed. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

CLEANING  THE  BARN. 

With  the  increase  of  contagious  and  infectious 
diseases  among  people  and  live  stock,  and  since 
so  many  diseases  are  transmissible  from  ani- 
mals to  human  beings,  it  becomes  necessary  to 
take  all  practical  and  useful  precautions  to  guard 
against  such  conditions. 

Cities  and  municipalities  are  everywhere  realiz- 
ing the  importance  of  maintaining  sanitary  sur- 
roundings for  their  citizens  and  have  officers 
that  look  after  this  line  of  work.  They  are  a 
great  help  to  any  city,  and  in  fact  are  a  neces- 
sity in  any  city  of  a  few  thousand  people.  No 
city  could  profitably  dispense  with  this  impor- 
tant officer.  There  is  no  reason  why  such  an 
officer  would  not  be  able  to  do  a  great  deal  of 
good  among  the  rural  folks  by  educating  and 
instructing  them  concerning  the  many  advantages 
of  keeping  the  farms  as  free  from  diseases  and 
as  clean  and  sanitary  as  possible. 

Of  late  years  many  of  the  animal  diseases  have 
been    steadily    increasing,    such   as   tuberculosis, 

45 


46  The   Cow  in   Health  and  Disease. 

contagious  abortion,  and  hog  cholera,  and  others. 
Thorough  sanitation  would  greatly  lessen  the  fre- 
quency of  these  diseases  and  stop  the  spread  of 
them.  These  diseases  are  causing  the  farmers 
to  lose  millions  of  dollars  each  year. 

The  general  condition  of  many  farm  build- 
ings makes  it  next  to  impossible  to  render  them 
sanitary  to  any  degree  worthy  of  the  name.  The 
floors  of  many  stables  are  worn  and  contain  large 
cracks  through  which  the  manure  and  urine  pass 
and  in  which  countless  varieties  of  disease  germs 
are  to  be  found.  Since  cement  has  become  so 
popular  as  a  building  material,  it  greatly  assists 
in  maintaining  sanitary  surroundings  for  the 
farm  animals,  as  nearly  all  the  floors  of  barns 
and  stables  are  now  made  of  concrete,  and  in  cow 
stables  and  hog  pens  it  is  possible  to  use  the  iron 
fixtures  that  make  it  convenient  to  do  a  thorough 
job  when  disinfecting  and  cleaning  the  building. 

In  cleaning  up  the  stable  all  the  trtvjh  should 
be  removed  from  the  manger,  the  bedJmg  re- 
moved, and  the  dirt  and  cobwebs  swept  from  the 
sides  and  ceilings.  If  the  floor  io  of  cement 
you  can  use  a  bichloride  of  mercuiy  solution  on 
the  floors  and  a  hot  lime  w^ash  o:i  the  stalls  and 
mangers,  or  a  carbolic  acid  oi  ^oal  tar  disin- 
fectant. The  harness  may  be  disinfected  with 
creolin  or  some  coal  tar  disinfectant,  but  do  not 
use  the  bichloride  of  mercury  solution..  The  same 
procedure  can  be  carried  out  in  the  cow  stable. 
If  it  can  be  made  air  tight,  you  may  use  one 
pound  of  permanganate  of  potash  to  20  ounces 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  47 

of  formalin  for  each  1,000  feet  of  space.  The 
permanganate  should  be  placed  in  a  metal  ves- 
sel and  then  set  in  a  metal  tub  partly  filled  with 
water,  then  the  formalin  should  be  poured  in 
with  potash.  The  operator  should  not  be  long 
in  getting  away  from  this  solution  as  it  produces 
a  very  strong  gas  that  is  very  hard  on  the  eyes ; 
it  should  be  watched  through  a  window  or  crack 
for  a  few  seconds  to  see  that  it  does  not  take 
fire.    The  building  should  be  closed  for  24  hours. 

One  ounce  of  bichloride  of  mercury  to  8  gal- 
lons of  water  is  strong  enough  to  kill  any  of  the 
disease  germs  when  used  in  sufficient  quantities. 
Care  must  be  taken  as  it  is  very  poisonous. 
Creoliu  or  any  of  the  coal  tar  disinfectants  should 
be  used  in  about  5  per  cent  solution  of  water. 

Take  about  100  pounds  of  quick  lime  and  60 
pounds  of  water  and  slack  it,  this  forming  hydrate 
of  lime ;  of  this  take  1  part  to  four  parts  of 
water,  which  should  be  hot,  and  after  straining 
apply  with  a  spray  pump.  One  pound  of  the 
chloride  of  lime  to  every  three  or  four  gallons 
greatly  increases  its  value. 


CHAPTER  Vlir. 

THE  AVERAGE  FARM  COW. 

In  our  work  as  practicing  veterinarians  we 
see  almost  all  kinds  of  cows — that  is,  the  kind 
that  are  kept  by  the  average  farmer.  It  may 
seem  absurd,  but  we  believe  that  there  are  few- 
farmers  who  really  give  very  much  thought 
or  attention  to  their  cows.  The  reason  that 
most  farmers  keep  poor  cows  is  that  they  do 
not  have  any  idea  what  the  cost  of  the  pro- 
duction is.  They  figure  only  the  amount  of 
production.  We  firmly  believe  that  more  than 
50  per  cent  of  farmers'  cows  in  this  section  of 
Ohio  are  boarders.  We  can  not  understand 
why  farmers  do  not  keep  accounts  and  find 
just  where  they  stand.  It  is  poor  business  to 
keep  live  stock  that  does  not  pay,  yet  that  is 
just  what  many  farmers  are  doing  in  the  rich- 
est section  of  Ohio,  and  in  all  the  other  states, 
for  that  matter. 

Many  farm  cows  are  existing  at  the  expense  of 
some  of  the  other  live  stock  on  the  farm.  The 
failure  of  the  average  farm  cow  is  not  always  her 

48 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  49 

fault.  The  best  cow  will  not  be  a  good  invest- 
ment if  she  does  not  receive  good  care  and 
proper  feeding.  The  average  farmer  pays  too 
little  attention  to  his  cows ;  usually  he  just  throws 
the  feed  into  them  and  lets  them  take  care  of 
themselves. 

One  of  the  greatest  crimes  against  the  cows  is 
the  utter  disregard  of  breeds.  We  find  cows  that 
are  inbred  and  others  that  have  2  or  3  crosses  to 
other  breeds ;  frequently  these  crosses  are  antag- 
onistic to  each  other.  It  seems  that  most  farm- 
ers breed  to  the  bull  that  is  handiest,  regardless 
of  his  individuality  or  breeding.  No  attention  is 
paid  to  conformation.  These  mongrel  bulls  or 
barnyard  lunkheads  are  losing  the  farmers  of 
the  United  States  vast  sums  of  money  each  year. 

In  many  sections  farmers  are  beginning  to 
breed  for  better  animals.  It  does  not  matter  so 
much  w^hether  the  farmer  keeps  all  purebred 
stock,  but  he  should  always  strive  to  breed  for 
those  characteristics  that  go  with  the  particular 
kind  of  animal  that  he  wants.  Personally,  we 
would  rather  have  an  extra  good  individaul  that 
was  not  purebred  than  a  purebred  that  was  lack- 
ing in  many  of  those  characteristics  that  belong 
to  its  kind.  The  immature  and  small  cow  is  often 
kept  for  breeding  purposes  just  because  her  dam 
was  a  good  cow.  This  should  not  be  done,  as 
often  this  poor  individual  is  the  result  of  mixed 
breeding. 

The  average  cow  is  fed  on  the  coarsest  of 
roughage,   with   very   little   grain.      Usually   the 


50  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

grain  is  corn,  which  is  not  even  ground.  One 
can  not  expect  a  cow  to  go  through  a  winter  in 
good  shape  and  produce  a  good  quantity  of  milk 
on  such  feed.  Many  are  now  feeding  silage  and 
this  is  helping  them  out  of  their  difficulties. 
Such  feeds  as  linseed  meal,  cottonseed  meal,  bran, 
roots,  alfalfa  and  clover  hay  are  proper  for  the 
cow. 

Many  of  the  cows  on  the  farm  are  kept  in  an 
open  yard  without  any  shelter  at  all,  and  others 
are  kept  in  a  shed  full  of  cracks  through  which 
the  winds  blow  over  the  animals.  The  stanchions 
are  either  too  short  or  are  so  long  that  the  ani- 
mal must  lie  in  the  filth  and  dirt,  many  times 
without  bedding  of  any  kind.  The  surroundings 
of  cows  have  a  great  influence  upon  their  produc- 
tion. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HOW  TO  SELECT  A  GOOD  COW. 

The  business  of  dairying  has  rapidly  become 
commercialized  during  the  last  few  years  owing 
to  the  competition.  While  prices  for  dairy  prod- 
ucts have  increased  in  value  during  the  last  few 
years  they  have  not  increased  in  value  in  the 
same  proportion  that  labor  and  feed  have  in- 
creased. For  these  reasons  it  requires  a  skill- 
ful business  man  at  this  time  to  milk  cows  at  a 
fair  profit. 

The  average  farm  cow  has  a  very  poor  chance 
to  return  a  profit  to  her  owner,  from  the  fact 
that  she  is  usually  improperly  fed.  She  is  often 
kept  in  a  cold,  dark,  damp  stable  that  is  poorly 
ventilated,  and  she  is  fed  largely  roughage  with 
very  little  grain  and  no  concentrates.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  there  are  twenty-two  million  cows  in 
the  United  States  and  that  of  this  number  only 
about  seven  million  are  returning  a  profit  to 
their  owners,  but  by  good  care  and  proper  feed- 
ing about  half  of  those  that  are  kept  at  a  loss 
could  be  made  to  yield  a  profit. 
51 


52  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease, 

The  average  farmer  milks  his  cows  over  seven 
hundred  times  each  year  and  consumes  on  an 
average  of  better  than  twenty-seven  days  in  do- 
ing so  .  Is  it  any  wonder  then  that  the  average 
farmer  does  not  h'ke  to  keep  cows  when  he  feels 
that  they  are  not  making  him  a  good  profit  when 
it  takes  so  much  time  and  labor  to  care  for 
them? 

As  each  cow  in  the  herd  is  different  from 
every  other  one,  she  must  be  fed  and  cared  for 
in  a  different  manner  perhaps  than  the  others  to 
produce  her  best.  It  requires  judgment  and  skill 
to  be  able  to  feed  and  care  for  a  cow  so  that  she 
will  produce  the  limit  of  her  capacity  and  this 
capacity  can  only  be  acquired  by  careful,  con- 
scientious study  and  a  close  application  of  this 
knowledge  in  practice.  Each  cow  should  be  cared 
for  just  as  though  she  were  a  highly  developed 
piece  of  machinery  and  then  she  will  produce 
economically  and  profitably.  In  selecting  cows 
for  the  productive  ability,  there  are  several  es- 
sential features  that  usually  show  on  the  ex- 
terior of  the  cow  and  the  man  that  buys  a  cow 
should  be  able  to  distinguish  the  most  of  these  if 
he  would  secure  a  good  one. 

There  are  a  few  characteristics  that  are  found 
in  every  cow  that  is  a  good  producer,  being  more 
or  less  pronounced  according  to  the  cow's  pro- 
ductive ability.  A  cow  to  be  a  good  producer 
must  have  a  good  constitution,  capacity  to  eat 
and  digest  large  quantities  of  food,  nervous  tem- 
perament,  which   means   that    she   must   be   an 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  53 

active  worker  and  not  a  loafer,  circulation  means 
that  she  must  have  a  large  and  well  developed 
supply  of  blood  flowing  through  the  udder  from 
which  the  milk  is  secreted,  and  by  ability  we 
mean  the  power  the  cow  has  of  secreting  milk. 
While  a  cow  might  have  any  four  of  these  char- 
acteristics, she  would  not  be  an  extra  good  covs 
without  the  fifth. 

In  selecting  a  cow  it  is  always  best  to  view  the 
cow  from  the  side  and  from  some  little  distance, 
while  she  is  standing  with  her  side  toward  you 
or  vshile  someone  is  leading  her  by  you,  as  you 
are  able  in  this  way  to  get  a  very  good  impres- 
sion as  to  her  constitution  and  capacity  in  this 
w'c.y  and  do  not  forget  that  your  first  impres- 
sion is  usually  the  best.  It  is  then  well  to  walk 
around  the  cow  to  the  other  side,  as  cows  do  not 
always  look  the  same  from  both  sides,  and  then 
to  walk  to  the  front  where  a  good  view  of  the 
head,  horns,  eyes  and  the  chest  and  barrel  may 
be  seen  and  then  step  to  the  rear  of  the  cow 
where  the  udder  and  tail  and  width  of  the  hips 
may  be  seen.  Then  walk  by  the  cow  with  one 
hand  traveling  along  the  neck  and  back  where 
the  condition  as  to  fat  may  be  observed,  while 
with  the  other  hand  the  texture  of  the  skin  may 
be  determined  by  grasping  it  and  pulling  it  out 
from  the  body.  Next  milk  the  cow  or  have  some- 
one else  do  so  and  examine  the  udder  carefully. 
A  soft  pliable  elastic  skin  indicates  a  good  diges- 
tive apparatus,  while  a  dry  harsh  clinging  hide 
indicates  poor  digestion. 


54  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

A  cow  to  be  a  good  producer  must  be  a  worker. 
She  cannot  be  a  loafer.  We  have  termed  this 
nervous  temperament,  and  we  mean  by  that  a 
highly  developed  nervous  system  that  produces 
constant  activity  of  the  animal.  A  cow  that  is 
chewing  her  cud  when  she  is  not  eating  and  one 
that  is  always  ready  for  her  meals  and  that  al- 
ways takes  note  of  her  surroundings.  This  is  in- 
dicated by  a  large  wide  forehead  that  slopes  to 
the  poll  and  width  between  the  eyes,  also  by 
prominent  hips  and  ribs  and  a  lean  open  jointed 
backbone  that  is  free  from  fat. 

The  udder  of  the  high  producing  cows  is  usual- 
ly a  network  of  veins  and  blood  vessels  and  the 
milk  veins  passing  along  the  abdomen  are  large 
and  torturous.  The  milk  wells  are  larger  and 
more  numerous  than  in  the  light  producer.  The 
blood  that  flows  through  the  udder  determines 
the  milk  flow  and  the  udder  that  is  attached  high 
on  the  back  and  far  forward  along  the  abdomen 
has  greater  surface  that  is  supplied  with  these 
vessels  and  the  flow  of  milk  is  correspondingly 
heavy.  The  thighs  should  be  free  from  fat  and 
form  an  arch,  the  widest  part  of  which  should 
be  on  the  level  with  the  attachment  of  the  udder, 
which  gives  it  plenty  of  space. 

While  it  is  always  desirable  to  combine  with 
the  facts  already  given,  symmetry  of  form  and 
beauty,  this  is  not  always  possible  and  besides  it 
is  no  indication  of  greatness  of  production  as 
many  of  the  best  cows  we  have  ever  seen  are 
more  or  less  deficient  in  these  two  characteristics. 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  55 

Size  is  not  an  indication  of  the  probable  value 
of  a  cow  as  a  producer,  but  is  many  times  taken 
as  such  an  indication  by  the  inexperienced.  Color 
is  only  a  breed  index  and  is  of  consideration  only 
in  that  light. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CARING  FOR  THE  SICK  COW. 

A  great  many  people  are  of  the  opinion  that 
simply  because  a  cow  is  a  dumb  brute,  when  she 
happens  to  be  sick,  she  will  get  well  with  very 
little  attention.  Many  cows  are  lost  each  year 
because  they  are  neglected  and  not  properly 
cared  for  during  sickness,  while  oftentimes  an 
animal,  whose  illness  would  have  proved  fatal 
under  usual  conditions,  recovered,  due  to  the 
good  care  received. 

The  first  thing  to  do  in  caring  for  a  sick 
cow  is  to  get  her  into  a  comfortable  box  stall. 
This  should  be  well  bedded  with  dry  bedding  and, 
while  it  should  have  plenty  of  fresh  air,  it  should 
be  free  from  draughts.  Plenty  of  light  should  be 
provided,  unless  some  condition  of  the  eyes  is 
affecting  the  cow,  in  which  case  the  stall  should 
be  darkened.  If  possible  get  as  far  from  noise 
and  excitement  as  possible  where  the  animal  can 
be  kept  quiet. 

The  stall  should  be  screened  in  the  summer 
months  to  keep  out  flies.     If  this  is  impossible, 

56 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Di&tasj.  57 

the  cow  should  be  covered  with  a  fly  sheet  or 
some  fly  repellant  may  be  sprayed  upon  her  and 
in  the  stall.  In  winter  the  cow  should  be  pro- 
tected by  warm  blankets. 

Cows  that  are  convalescing  from  sickness  of 
any  kind  should  not  be  exposed  to  cold  rains,  or 
to  stormy  or  extremely  hot  weather.  Cows  that 
have  gotten  dirty  should  be  cleaned  by  currying 
or  by  sponging  off  with  warm  water,  after  which 
they  should  be  dried.  Cows  that  are  suffering 
with  fevers  should  have  plenty  of  fresh  water 
before  them  at  all  times,  and  it  is  sometimes 
beneficial  to  take  a  dose  syringe  or  a  drench 
bottle  and  rinse  out  the  mouth  with  cold  water 
two  or  three  times  each  day. 

The  attendant  should  use  care  in  carrying  out 
the  veterinarian's  instructions,  and  the  patient 
should  get  the  medicine  regularly  and  in  the  pre- 
scribed dosage.  Do  not  miss  a  dose  and  then  at 
the  next  dose  double  it,  as  this  will  sometimes  be 
dangerous,  if  not  a  fatal  procedure.  Observe  in- 
structions carefully  and  do  not  risk  the  dangers 
of  following  suggestions  that  may  happen  to  be 
offered  by  disinterested  parties ;  most  of  these  are 
harmless,  but  many  times  irreparable  damage 
may  be  done  by  their  use,  so  do  not  do  anything 
but  what  your  veterinarian  tells  you  to  do. 

Feeding  the  Sick  Cow^. 

We  have  observed  many  times  an  attendant 
preparing  a  meal  for  a  sick  cow,  placing  it  be- 
fore her  and  paying  no   further  attention  to  it 


58  The  Cow  in  Hemlth  and   Disease. 

other  than  observing  from  time  to  time  whether 
or  not  it  had  been  eaten.  Sometimes  this  meal 
consisted  of  a  bran  mash  or  a  thin  slop.  Such 
feed  quickly  starts  to  ferment  in  warm  w^eather 
and,  if  the  patient  does  not  eat  any  of  it  within 
one  or  two  hours  after  it  has  been  placed  be- 
fore her,  it  should  be  removed.  The  sight  of 
food  continually  would  have  the  same  effect  on 
cows  under  some  conditions  as  it  would  have 
upon  human  beings,  causing  them  to  become 
nauseated. 

A  sick  person  usually  relishes  a  change  of  diet, 
something  fresh  and  appetizing,  some  fruit  or 
vegetables  of  some  kind.  In  this  respect  a  cow 
does  not  differ  from  human  beings. 

We  have  often  been  able  to  get  cows  to  eat 
by  offering  them  cabbage,  turnips,  carrots, 
apples,  etc.  Especially  is  this  true  during  the 
winter  months  and  the  early  spring. 

When  it  is  seasonable,  young  corn  plants  are 
sometimes  relished  by  our  patients.  Always  re- 
member that  the  appetite  may  be  greatly  stimu- 
lated at  times  by  the  use  of  some  fruit  or  vege- 
tables or  other  appetizing  substances  which  cows 
relish.  Be  careful  lest  you  overfeed  the  patient 
after  she  starts  eating. 

In  preparing  mashes  or  thin  slops  do  not  fail 
to  salt  them  well  and  do  not  feed  them  too  hot 
nor  yet  too  cold. 

If  the  patient  is  greatly  weakened  a  drench 
composed  of  five  or  six  eggs  well  beaten  up 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  59 

and  placed  in  a  quart  of  sweet  milk  may  be  given 
two  or  three  times  each  day. 

A  tea  made  by  steeping  bright  alfalfa  or  clover 
hay  may  be  offered  to  the  patient.  The  hay 
should  be  cut  up  well  with  shears  and  packed  in 
a  large  pail,  after  which  boiling  water  is  poured 
over  it  and  the  pail  covered  with  blankets.  This 
is  allowed  to  stand  for  a  couple  of  hours,  after 
which  the  liquid  is  poured  off  and  offered  to  the 
patient  just  slightly  warmed. 

Only  the  best  quality  of  feed  obtainable  should 
be  offered  to  the  sick  animal  and  care  should 
be  taken  that  she  be  not  overfed.  Fresh  and  pure 
water  should  be  before  the  patient  constantly. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

DISEASES  OF  DIGESTIVE  SYSTEM. 

Digestive  disturbances  among  cattle  are  very 
common  and  are  usually  the  result  of  some  error 
in  the  quantity,  the  quality  or  the  manner  of 
feeding.  The  cow  has  four  stomachs  or,  rather, 
four  separate  compartments  of  the  stomach.  The 
paunch,  which  is  the  largest,  is  the  receptacle  that 
holds  the  food  as  it  is  first  swallowed,  and  will 
hold  as  much  as  60  gallons.  This  is  a  reservoir 
for  the  food  that  is  eaten  by  the  cow  and  is 
afterward  remasticated.  This  remastication  is 
the  process  that  is  going  on  while  the  cow  is 
''chewing  her  cud,"  and  is  also  known  as  "rumi- 
nating." 

The  first  three  compartments  of  the  stomach 
are  of  value  only  in  preparing  the  food  for  diges- 
tion which  really  takes  place  in  the  fourth  part 
of  the  stomach,  or  the  true  stomach.  The  third 
part  of  the  stomach  is  arranged  like  the  leaves  in 
a  book  and,  after  the  food  has  been  remasticated, 
it  passes  into  this  third  compartment  and  is 
pressed  and  strained  into  the  fourth  stomach 
where  the  true  digestive  process  takes  place. 
60 


The   Ccw  in  Health  and  Disease.  61 

The  feed  that  is  given  the  cow  should  be  good 
quuhty  that  of  bad  quahty  may  ferment,  caus- 
ing indigestion  and  occasionally  other  chronic 
disease  conditions.  Feeds  that  contain  too  large 
a  part  of  indigestible  material  are  liable  to  cause 
such  a  severe  strain  upon  the  digestive  organs  as 
to  overwork  them,  thus  producing  diseases  of 
various  kinds.  Feeds  that  are  affected  with  the 
various  ru.^ts,  molds  and  fungi  will  often  cause 
severe  and  violent  inflammation  of  the  digestive 
tract,  accompanied  by  colicky  pains  and  diar- 
rhoeas. They  may  also  cause  the  development 
of  dangerous  and  often  fatal  ptomaines. 

Cows  should  be  fed  only  at  regular  intervals 
and  the  feeding  should  not  be  done  at  any  con- 
venient time,  as  is  often  practiced.  The  digestive 
organs  accustomed  to  doing  their  work  at  stated 
intervals  are  not  nearly  so  apt  to  become  over- 
worked. 

Feed  should  not  be  too  rich  in  nutrients  nor  too 
concentrated,  as  cows  are  unable  to  subsist  on 
feeds  that  do  not  furnish  the  required  bulk. 
Cows  require  a  certain  bulk  in  their  ration  and  it 
has  been  determined  that  a  cow  requires  some- 
where in  the  neighborhood  of  25  pounds  of 
roughage  per  day,  as  a  necessary  part  of  her 
ration.  If  the  digestive  organs  are  not  properly 
distended  the  cow  will  become  restless  and  show 
evidence  of  digestive  disturbance.  There  would 
be  no  objection,  however,  in  feeding  a  concen- 
trated feed  high  in  nutrients  and  containing  very 
little  bulk  by  itself,  if  at  some  other  time  in  the 


62  The  Cow  in  Hemlth  and   Disease. 

day  the  required  amount  of  roughage  were  fed. 

Cows  that  have  been  on  a  fixed  ration  for 
some  time  should  not  have  their  ration  changed 
suddenly.  Such  a  change  should  be  worked  out 
gradually,  by  adding  a  little  of  the  feed  to  which 
it  is  desired  to  make  the  change  to  the  feed  that 
is  being  used,  and  by  decreasing  the  latter  a 
little  at  each  feeding.  The  digestive  organs  be- 
come accustomed  to  the  work  required  to  digest 
a  certain  feed  after  it  has  been  fed  for  some  time. 
The  glands  also  become  accustomed  to  secret- 
ing the  amount  of  digestive  secretions  that  are 
necessary  to  carry  on  digestion  of  the  existing 
ration.  Thus  any  radical  and  sudden  change  in 
feeds  given  does  not  allow  the  various  organs 
time  to  regulate  their  functions  to  the  sudden 
change,  and  so  digestive  disturbances  and  some- 
times a  decided  loss  of  weight  result.  Cows  have 
been  known  to  lose  as  much  as  25  to  100  pounds 
from  a  sudden  and  radical  change  in  the  ration. 

In  cold  weather,  when  it  is  possible,  the  drink- 
ing water  should  be  heated  to  about  50  degrees. 
When  given  very  cold  it  sometimes  produces 
colic.  Cows  should  be  watered  often  and  the 
water  should  always  be  pure  and  clean  and  not 
too  cold. 

Salivation   or    Slobbering. 

Salivation  or  slobbering  is  a  local  condition  and 
not  a  symptom  of  any  such  diseases  as  foot-an- 
mouth  disease  or  rabies.  Such  symptoms  may  be 
caused  by  foreign  substances,  such  as  nails  and 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  63 

short  pieces  of  wire,  becoming  imbedded  in  the 
tongue  or  the  cheek,  or  by  the  lodging  of  a  foreign 
sub.-tance  between  the  upper  molar  teeth.  They 
may  also  result  from  eating  poisonous  or  acrid 
plants  or  weeds,  such  as  wild  mustard.  Saliva- 
tion may  also  be  caused  by  eating  damaged  or 
spoiled  feed  or  sharp  ensilage.  If  due  to  the 
feed  this  should  be  discontinued  at  once.  As  local 
treatment  dissolve  a  level  tablespoonful  of  pul- 
verized alum  in  one-half  pint  of  water  and  syringe 
out  the  mouth  twice  each  day. 

If  it  is  caused  by  some  foreign  substance  be- 
coming lodged  in  the  muscular  structures  of  the 
tongue  or  cheek  it  should  be  removed.  In  ex- 
amining the  mouth  of  the  cow  the  tongue  should 
be  firmly  grasped  and  pulled  out  of  the  mouth 
and  a  mouth  gag  or  a  speculum  should  be  in- 
serted between  the  teeth  to  keep  the  mouth  open. 
A  mouth  gag  is  nothing  more  than  a  small  block 
of  wood  to  which  is  attached  a  piece  of  spring 
metal  to  hold  it  in  place  and  it  lies  inserted  be- 
tween the  molar  teeth.  It  is  safer  and  more  prac- 
tical than  a  mouth  speculum. 

The  Teeth. 

The  teeth  of  cows  do  not  receive  the  same  at- 
tention that  is  given  the  teeth  of  horses,  yet  cows 
have  much  more  trouble  with  their  teeth  than 
the  average  farmer  supposes.  They  have  irregu- 
larities that  may  come  from  the  unequal  grinding 
of  the  teeth  and  from  the  sand  that  is  sometimes 
picked!   up    with   the   grass.      Occasionally   the 


64  The  Cow  in  Hemlth  and   Disease. 

teeth  are  broken  or  split  by  biting  on  some  hard 
object  that  is  picked  up  with  the  feed.  Cavities, 
due  to  injuries  to  the  enamel,  are  often  found  in 
the  teeth.  Ulceration  of  the  teeth  is  quite  com- 
mon in  milk  cows  and  usually  affects  the  upper 
molars.  A  hard  swelling  appears  on  the  cow's 
face  below  the  eye ;  it  grows  rapidly  larger  in 
size,  is  tender  to  the  touch  and  the  cow  will  often 
show  that  it  is  difficult  for  her  to  eat.  This  en- 
largement opens  in  the  course  of  several  days  if 
it  is  not  properly  treated  and  then  discharges  a 
small  quantity  of  very  foul-smelling  pus.  Once 
in  a  while  an  extra  tooth  will  be  found  that  inter- 
feres with  eating  in  some  way ;  this  is  known  as 
a  supernumerary  tooth. 

To  examine  the  cow's  teeth  it  is  necessary  to 
use  the  gag  or  speculum  previously  described, 
and  the  examination  should  be  made  in  a  good 
light.  If  the  teeth  are  uneven,  due  to  grinding, 
they  should  have  the  sharp  points  removed  by 
the  same  method  that  is  used  in  horses.  If  it 
is  necessary  to  extract  any  tooth  or  part  of  a 
tooth  it  wnll  be  necessary  to  cast  the  cow  and  tie 
her  securely  so  that  the  head  can  be  properly 
controlled.  As  soon  as  a  swelling  is  noticed  that 
would  indicate  there  is  an  ulceration  at  the  root 
of  the  tooth  the  swelling  should  be  painted  twice 
daily  with  tincture  of  iodin.  If  this  treatment 
fails  to  bring  marked  improvement  within  a  few 
days  a  veterinarian  should  be  called  to  drill  with 
a  bone  drill  through  the  bone  at  the  swelling  to 
liberate  the  pus  and  remove  the  tooth,  which  is 


Ike  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  65 

usually  diseased,  then  treat  as  any  other  abscess 
cavity. 

Inflammation  of  the  Mouth. 

Occasionally  cattle  are  affected  with  sore 
mouth,  due  to  eating  irritant  plants  or  spoiled 
feed  and  sometimes  to  sharply  cut  ensilage. 
\\nien  the  mouth  is  examined  it  is  found  to  be 
dry  and  hot :  the  tongue  and  cheeks  are  very  red. 
The  animal  is  often  bothered  in  eating  and  drink- 
ing while  in  this  condition. 

If  the  condition  is  not  too  severe  it  will  cor- 
rect itself  in  a  short  time,  otherwise  the  feed 
shouM  be  soft  and  of  a  liquid  nature,  such  as 
mashes  arid  slops,  and  the  mouth  may  be  rinsed 
out  twice  each  day  with  three  or  four  ounces  of 
the  following  solution :  Pulverized  alum  one 
ounce,  potassium  chlorate,  one  ounce,  and  water 
to  make  one  quart. 

Sore  Throat. 

This  is  an  inflammation  of  the  mucous  mem- 
brane lining  the  throat  and  is  very  seldom  found 
alone,  but  usually  associated  with  some  of  the 
more  severe  respiratory  diseases,  such  as  pneu- 
monia, bronchitis  or  pleurisy. 

The  muzzle  is  dry  and  the  saliva  dribbles  from 
the  corners  of  the  mouth.  The  head  is  slightly 
extended  and  held  rigid.  The  eyes  are  drawn 
so  that  the  animal  has  a  sleepy  appearance.  The 
animal  stands  quietly,  scarcely  changing  its  posi- 
tion, and  the  eyes  are  bloodshot.     It  drinks  with 


S6  The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

great  difficulty,  and  may  chew  some  food  but 
may  drop  it  from  the  mouth  rather  than  make  an 
attempt  to  swallow  it;  water  is  taken  into  the 
mouth  but  instead  of  swallowing  it  the  animal 
allows  it  to  run  out  between  the  lips. 

The  water  that  is  offered  the  animal  should 
be  warmed,  and  the  feed  should  consist  of  slops 
and  mashes  and  bay  or  linseed  teas.  No  coarse, 
harsh  feeds  of  any  kind,  such  as  hay  or  fodder, 
should  be  given.  Take  an  eight-ounce  bottle  and 
in  this  place  one  ounce  of  tincture  of  iron  chloride 
and  fill  with  glycerine  ;  then  place  one  ounce  of 
this  mixture  on  the  tongue  three  times  each  day. 
Bathe  well  the  region  under  the  throat  and  be- 
tween the  lower  jaw  bones  with  ammonia  or 
white  liniment  two  or  three  times  each  day. 
Keep  the  animal  in  a  well  ventilated  yet  warm 
stall  and  do  not  allow  it  to  be  exposed  to  the 
weather  or  storms.  Recovery  should  take  place 
in  from  three  or  four  days  to  one  week. 

Mumps. 

This  is  an  inflammation  of  the  parotid  gland 
and  occurs  in  cows  of  almost  all  ages  and  un- 
der almost  all  conditions  and  different  kinds 
of  care.  The  parotid  gland  lies  just  under  the 
ear  and  extends  downward  to  about  the  angle 
of  the  jaw. 

This  condition  usually  starts  with  a  chill 
which  is  quickly  followed  by  high  fever  in 
many  cases.  The  head  is  extended  as  if  the 
neck  is  stiff  and  a  slight  swelling  is  noticed 


Tne  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  67 

in  tlie  region  of  the  parotid  gland.  If  only 
one  side  is  affected  the  head  will  be  turned  to 
one  side.  This  swelling  is  very  tender  to  the 
touch  and  the  animal  will  try  to  avoid  having 
it  manipulated.  This  swelling  usually  reaches 
its  height  in  about  2i  hours.  The  animal 
usually  refuses  all  feed  and  may  attempt  to 
drink  a  little  water,  but  may  desist  due  to  the 
pain  it  causes. 

The  animal  should  be  placed  in  a  well  venti- 
lated, yet  warm  and  comfortable,  box  stall; 
water  should  be  placed  vvhere  it  can  be  easily 
reached.  Thin  slops  and  mashes  should  be 
offered,  but  no  fodders  or  hays.  Paint  the 
swelling  three  times  daily  for  the  first  three 
or  four  days  with  tincture  of  iodin,  and  after 
that  once  each  day.  Recovery  in  most  times 
takes  place  in  from  a  week  to  ten  days  but  in 
aggravated  cases  and  where  abscess  develop- 
ment takes  place  the  recovery  may  be  delayed 
for  three  or  four  weeks.  If  abcess  forms  in 
the  gland  a  veterinarian  should  be  called  as 
soon  as  the  presence  of  pus  can  be  determined 
by  pressure  of  the  gland  with  the  fingers,  and 
he  should  liberate  the  pus  at  once  by  the  use 
of  a  sharp  knife.  The  bacterin  treatment  as 
applied  by  veterinarians  is  very  valuable  in 
this  condition. 

Bloat. 

This  condition  is  also  known  as  hoven  or 
tympanites.    It  is  characterized  by  a  filling  up 


S8  The  Cow  in  Health  an  J  Disease. 

of  the  left  flank  and  by  the  formation  of  gas. 
It  is  brought  about  by  a  wide  variety  of  con- 
ditions but  chiefly  by  eating  spoiled  feed,  or 
feed  that  is  wet  with  dew  or  rain,  or  it  may 
result  from  eating  too  fast  which  produces  in- 
digestion with  a  rapid  fermentation  and  for- 
mation of  gas.  It  may  also  result  from  choke 
due  to  the  closing  of  the  gullet  which  prevents 
the  belching  of  the  gas,  and  consequently  the 
retention  of  gas  causes  the  bloating.  It  may 
also  result  from  the  eating  of  frozen  roots  or 
grass,  or  vegetables  such  as  turnips,  cabbage 
and  the  like.  It  is  caused  most  often  from  eat- 
ing clover  which  is  Avet  with  dew  or  rain  and 
in  many  cases  is  fatal  before  the  animal  is 
found.  Most  digestive  disturbances  are  ac- 
companied by  bloating. 

The  swelling  in  the  left  flank  becomes  so 
great  that  it  sometimes  extends  above  the  level 
of  the  back.  Breathing  becomes  fast  and  dif- 
ficult. The  eyes  have  an  anxious  and  painful 
expression.  As  bloating  continues  the  animal 
shows  symptoms  of  great  pain  and  may  reel 
and  stagger  when  it  walks.  Death  is  caused 
from  the  pressing  forward  of  the  diaphragm 
upon  the  lungs  which  results  in  asphyxiation. 

If  the  animal  is  in  immedate  danger  it  should 
be  tapped  immediately.  If  it  is  not  possible  to 
procure  immediately  a  trocar,  which  is  made 
especially  for  tapping,  use  a  sharp  butcher  or 
pocket  knife.  Do  not  attempt  to  procure  anti- 
septics and  sterilize  the  spot  where  the  incision 


Ihe  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  69 

is  to  be  made  if  the  cow  is  in  immediate  danger. 
The  animal  should  be  tapped  midway  between 
the  last  rib  and  the  point  of  the  hip  and  about 
the  same  distance  from  the  backbone.  When 
the  animal  is  not  in  immediate  danger  a  rope 
gag  is  made  by  tying  knots  in  a  rope  and 
placing  this  bunch  of  knots  in  the  mouth  and 
passing  the  ends  of  the  rope  up  over  the  head 
V  here  they  are  tied.  The  animal  by  chewing 
the  knots  in  an  effort  to  dislodge  them  will 
cause  the  secretion  of  saliva  with  swallowing. 
The  gas  v/ill  then  pass  off  by  way  of  the  gullet 
or  oesophagus. 

There  are  several  anti-ferments  that  are 
good  for  the  treatment  of  bloat  in  preventing 
the  formation  of  the  gas.  From  two  to  four 
tablespoonfuls  of  spirits  of  turpentine  given  in 
one-half  pint  of  linseed  oil,  or  in  milk,  will 
sometimes  be  all  that  is  required.  P^ossibly  the 
best  treatment  is  one  and  one-half  to  two 
tablespoonful  of  formalin  in  one  quart  of  water 
as  a  drench.  This  treatment  has  been  credited 
to  workers  at  the  Kentucky  State  ^Agricultural 
College. 

Uroptropin  is  another  medicine  that  can  be 
used  to  treat  bloat.  It  is  a  white  granular  sub- 
stance with  a  slightly  bitter  taste  and  looks 
somewhat  like  coarse  granulated  sugar.  It 
is  made  from  ammonia  and  formaldehyde  and 
should  be  kept  in  a  tightly  corked  bottle.  Give 
from  two  to  four  level  teaspoonfuls  in  a  half- 
pint  of  water  and  repeat  in  an  hour  and  a  half 


70  The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

if  necessary.  It  is  not  irritating  to  the  mucous 
membranes  while  formaldehyde  is,  unless  it  is 
well  diluted. 

Impaction  of  the  Rumen. 

This  condition  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  to 
handle  due  to  the  fact  that  it  is  quite  hard  to 
diagnose  the  condition  and  many  times  the  ani- 
mal is  overtreated.  The  symptoms  of  this  con- 
dition are  very  irregular.  It  is  the  result  of 
an  animal  eating  too  much  food  or  eating  feeds 
that  were  not  fit  for  feeding. 

A  cow  with  an  impaction  may  eat  until  the 
condition  becomes  very  grave  or  she  may  re- 
fuse feed  altogether.  In  all  cases  one  can  hear 
a  grunt  when  the  animal  breathes.  In  some 
cases  it  can  be  heard  all  the  time  and  at  other 
times  it  may  be  heard  only  occasionally.  In 
standing  behind  the  cow  the  backbo-ne  appears 
to  curve  upward  and  to  the  left.  By  pressing 
in  the  region  of  the  rumen  its  contents  feel  soft 
and  doughy  or  rather  firm,  and  the  indentation 
made  by  the  fist  will  remain  for  some  little 
time  after  the  fist  is  removed. 

In  the  treatment  the  first  and  most  impor- 
tant thing  to  do  is  to  remove  all  feed.  Water 
should  be  allowed  freely.  Stimulants  and  anti- 
ferments  constitute  the  balance  of  the  treat- 
ment. One-half  teaspoonful  of  fluid  extract  of 
nux  vomica  should  be  given  every  three  or  four 
hours  and  one  teaspoonful  of  salol  should  be 
given  with  it  to  prevent  fermentation.    As  soon 


Ihe  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  71 

as  the  cow  begins  to  chew  her  cud  and  act 
natural  she  should  receive  a  dose  of  castor  or 
linseed  oil.  There  are  two  operations  that  are 
necessary  to  cure  impaction  when  it  is  deter- 
mined that  medicinal  treatment  is  of  no  avail, 
but  these  operations  can  be  performed  only  by 
a  veterinarian. 

Choke. 

Choke  in  cattle  is  usually  the  result  of  swal- 
lowing turnips,  apples,  beets,  potatoes  and  the 
like,  and  sometimes  from  gorging  chaff  or  straw. 
It  is  quite  common  in  the  fall  of  the  year  in  cows 
that  are  pastured  in  orchards,  especially  after  a 
sudden  windstorm  that  blows  the  apples  from 
the  trees  to  where  they  may  be  eaten  by  the  cow. 

The  animal  that  is  choked  will  show  a  varied 
line  of  symptoms  and  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to 
tell  whether  the  animal  is  choked  or  not.  When 
drinking  v.ater,  it  will  return  through  the 
mouth  if  the  choke  is  complete,  but  if  the 
gullet  is  not  entirely  closed  the  animal  will 
be  able  to  swallow.  If  the  gullet  is  entirely 
closed  the  animal  will  usually  bloat,  owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  gas  that  is  constantly 
being  formed  in  the  paunch  cannot  be  passed 
upward  through  4:he  gullet  Avith  the  food  that 
is  being  remasticated,  and  thus  accumulates 
in  the  paunch.  Sometimes  the  breathing  is 
quickened. 

If  the  object  lodges  in  the  throat  and  assistants 
can  be  procured  to  hold  the  animal,  a  mouth  gag 


72  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

may  be  used  and  the  hand  passed  over  the  base 
of  the  tongue  and  the  object  grasped  and  re- 
moved. It  is  quite  difficuh  and  in  most  cases 
impossible  to  locate  the  choke  in  cows,  but  if 
possible  a  firm  massage  with  pressure  directed 
upward  may  do  some  good,  and  if  judgment  is 
used  no  harm  will  result.  Do  not  take  t\\  o  hard 
objects,  such  as  stones  or  bricks,  and  strike  them 
together  over  the  seat  of  the  choke  in  an  attempt 
to  crush  whatever  may  be  the  cause.  This  will 
produce  injury  to  the  gullet  worse  than  the  choke, 
and  besides,  it  is  barbarous.  Do  not  run  a  whip- 
stock  or  broomstock  down  the  throat  in  an  effort 
to  dislodge  the  choke ;  this  is  dangerous.  We 
have  obtained  the  best  results  the  past  few  years 
by  administering  apomorphine  hydrochloride  hy- 
podermically.  In  our  experience  any  choke  that 
can  not  be  relieved  by  this  method,  can  not  be 
relieved  by  any  other  by  which  the  animal's  life 
may  be  saved.  Meddlesome  interference  in  such 
cases  as  these  is  dangerous.  Do  not  attempt  to 
drench  a  cow  when  in  this  condition,  as  she  may 
breathe  in  some  of  the  drench  and  die. 

Depraved  Appetite. 

This  condition  is  also  known  as  pica.  It  is 
an  abnormal  appetite  for  foreign  bodies  and  in- 
digestible substances.  Cows  so  affected  will  eat 
old  shoes,  rags,  wire,  manure,  stalks  and  any 
other  indigestible  substances  that  they  may  hap- 
pen to  procure.  This  affects  the  family  cow 
much  more  often  than  it  does  cows  that  are  in  a 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  73 

herd.  It  is  supposed  by  most  authorities  that 
this  condition  is  due  to  a  sHght  derangement  of 
the  digestive  system.  Cows  will  leave  good  nu- 
tritious feed  of  the  very  best  quality  to  eat  stalks 
and  manure  and  seem  to  relish  them.  This  would 
indicate  that  the  condition  is  due  to  an  unbalanced 
ration. 

As  soon  as  it  is  noticed  in  a  cow  special  atten- 
tion should  be  paid  to  the  ration.  A  liberal  allow- 
ance of  salt  will  sometimes  remedy  the  trouble, 
but  in  case  it  does  not,  one  ounce  of  tincture  of 
iodin  should  be  placed  in  an  eight-ounce  bottle 
and  the  remainder  filled  with  glycerine.  Give 
the  cow  one  ounce  of  this  mixture  night  and 
morning.  If  this  condition  is  not  corrected  in 
some  cows  they  will  become  unthrifty,  hide 
bound,  lose  flesh  and  frequently  suffer  from  a 
complication  of  diseases.  Cows  that  are  so  af- 
fected should  have  the  mouth  examined  for  any 
possible  injuries. 

Overfeeding. 

Overfeeding  usually  affects  the  family  cow, 
especially  the  city-owned  cow.  Most  of  these 
cases  do  not  present  any  predominating  symp- 
toms by  which  the  condition  may  be  diagnosed. 
The  feed  that  such  cows  received  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  they  receive  it,  warrants  us  in  diag- 
nosing all  cases  that  show  no  pronounced  symp- 
toms as  this  condition  until  something  shows  up 
that  enables  us  to  make  a  correct  diagnosis.  We 
are  justified  in  treating  all  obscure  diseases  of 


14  The  Cow  in  Health  and   Disease. 

city  cows  as  overfeeding  until  recovery  takes 
place  or  until  symptoms  show  themselves  by 
which  the  condition  may  be  recognized. 

The  first  and  most  important  thing  in  the 
treatment  is  the  taking  away  of  all  feed.  Allow 
water  often,  but  in  small  quantities.  Give  a 
laxative  of  epsom  salts  and  enforce  starvation 
until  recovery. 

Loss  of  Appetite. 

The  animal  usually,  if  not  always,  fails  to  pre- 
sent any  symptoms  by  which  the  veterinarian 
can  arrive  at  a  solution  of  the  cause  of  the  trou- 
ble. The  cow  just  seems  unnatural  and  does  not 
have  the  appetite  that  she  should  have,  some- 
times failing  to  eat  at  all.  As  nothing  else  seems 
wrong,  the  owner  often  fails  to  call  the  veterin- 
arian until  two  or  three  days  have  elapsed.  Even 
after  careful  examination  one  will  be  unable  to 
find  anything  that  would  indicate  that  the  cow 
is  sick.  It  is  due  probably  to  a  condition  of  the 
nervous  system  that  governs  the  digestive  appa- 
ratus, possibly  a  temporary  paralysis.  The  cow 
refuses  to  eat  and  it  may  be  anywhere  from  two 
or  three  days  to  a  couple  of  weeks  before  she 
resumes  eating. 

Our  treatment  for  this  condition  must  neces- 
sarily be  experimental,  since  we  do  not  know  the 
exact  cause  of  the  condition,  but  our  best  results 
have  come  from  the  use  of  the  following:  One 
ounce  of  fluid  extract  of  nux  vomica  with  three 
ounces   of   dilute   hydrochloric   acid,   one   table- 


The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease,  75 

spoonful  of  this  mixture  to  be  given  in  a  half-pint 
of  water  three  times  each  day. 

Dyspepsia. 

Dyspepsia  is  also  known  as  indigestion  or  gas- 
tro-intestinal  catarrh.  It  may  be  the  result  of  a 
varied  and  widely  different  set  of  conditions — 
irritant  or  spoiled  foods,  foods  that  are  binding 
in  nature,  thus  hindering  the  secretion  of  diges- 
tive fluids  and  preventing  the  absorption  of  the 
nutritive  elements  of  the  food  that  is  eaten ;  feed 
that  is  too  fibrous  and  that  may  contain  too  much 
indigestible  matter,  or  a  feed  that  is  used  over 
too  long  a  period  of  time  and  in  too  large  quanti- 
ties. Lack  of  exercise  will  also  predispose  to 
this  condition. 

The  animal  has  an  irregular  appetite,  is  list- 
less and  the  eyes  seem  sunken.  Constipation  and 
diarrhoea  alternate  and  the  manure  that  is  passed 
is  usually  dark  and  foul-smelling  and  in  small 
quantities  only.  Occasionally  the  animal  may  be 
heard  to  grunt  and  chews  the  cud  only  at  inter- 
vals. The  passage  of  manure  almost  ceases  but 
small  quantities  of  mucus  are  passed.  The  ears 
and  the  base  of  the  horns  are  alternately  hot  and 
cold,  and  the  animal  lies  down  most  of  the  time. 
She  may  carry  a  slight  temperature.  The  ani- 
mal gradually  gets  weaker  and  loses  flesh  rap- 
idly ;  finally  the  milk  flow  has  entirely  ceased 
and  the  cow  reels  and  staggers  when  she  attempts 
to  walk.  In  many  cases  a  brain  disturbance  is 
noticed  at  about  this  time,  due  no  doubt  to  the 


16  The  Cow  in  Health  and   Disease. 

pain  and  general  weakness  and  to  the  poisonous 
products  that  are  absorbed  from  the  digestive 
tract. 

The  very  best  and  most  appetizing  feed  should 
be  offered  several  times  each  day,  and  if  the  ani- 
mal eats  at  all,  care  should  be  taken  that  the  di- 
gestive organs  are  not  overworked ;  water  should 
be  given  and  should  have  the  chill  removed. 
Treatment  of  this  condition  is  of  grave  im- 
portance, and  should  be  prescribed  by  a  veterin- 
arian after  he  has  examined  the  case.  Possibly 
the  treatment  prescribed  for  loss  of  appetite 
would  give  as  good  results  in  the  majority  of 
these  cases  as  anything  that  we  might  be  able  to 
suggest  or  advise. 

Colic. 

This  condition  is  most  often  produced  by 
drinking  freely  of  cold  water  and,  as  the  animal 
suffers  a  chill  shortly  after  drinking  and  imme- 
diately before  the  colic  starts,  the  cause  of  this 
condition  cannot  be  doubted. 

The  animal  begins  by  kicking  at  the  abdomen 
wit'.i  the  hind  feet  and  stepping  from  side  to  side 
in  the  stall.  The  pain  becomes  very  severe  and 
the  animal  will  throw  itself  to  the  floor.  In  some 
cases  bloating  is  present. 

In  mild  cases  walking  exercise  for  ten  min- 
utes or  so  will  sometimes  relieve  the  condition. 
A  tablespoonful  of  ginger,  either  alone  or  with 
one  tablespoonful  of  tincture  of  capsicum  will 
usually  be  all  the  treatment  that  is  required.     It 


The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  77 

sliould  be  given  with  milk  or  water  as  a  drench. 
If  a  veterinarian  can  be  had  and  no  bloat  is  pres- 
ent, a  hypodermic  injection  of  morphine  or  some 
otlier  hypnotic  is  all  that  is  required. 

Dysentery. 

Dysentery  is,  simply  speaking,  a  severe  diar- 
rhoea, which  may  be  caused  by  the  eating  of 
irritating  or  spoiled  feed,  exposure  to  inclement 
weather,  parasites,  indigestion  and  the  like. 

At  first  the  stools  are  soft,  but  gradually  get 
watery,  often  foul-smelling,  and  are  sometimes 
streaked  with  blood.  The  animal  has  an  anxious 
expression,  is  haggard  in  appearance,  weak,  and 
may  show  some  evidence  of  abdominal  pain.  The 
appetite  is  lost  or  is  irregular  and  the  animal 
rapidly  weakens  and  loses  flesh.  If  the  condi- 
tion is  not  remedied  early,  it  may  result  in  death. 

If  the  cause  is  due  to  the  feed  or  to  parasites, 
cure  can  be  made  either  by  changing  the  feed  or 
by  the  administration  of  suitable  vermifuges  to 
cause  destruction  of  the  parasites.  A  dose  of 
castor  or  linseed  oil  should  be  given  and  should 
be  followed  by  two  or  three  tablespoonfuls  of 
the  following  mixture :  Tannic  acid,  one  ounce ; 
pulverized  sulphate  of  iron,  two  ounces,  and 
sodium  salicylate,  two  ounces,  all  thoroughly 
mixed.  This  should  be  given  in  a  solution  of 
water,  about  one  pint  being  sufficient.  This 
makes  a  black  solution  resembling  ink.  This 
mixture  has  given  much  better  results  in  this 


78  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

class  of  conditions  than  anything  else  we  have 
ever  used. 

"Diseases  of  the  Respiratory  System." 

There  is  surely  no  class  of  diseases  of  cows 
that  require  as  much  skill  from  the  veterina- 
rian if  he  would  make  a  correct  diagnosis  as 
those  of  the  respiratory  system.  You  know^ 
that  the  regular  physician  has  both  the  subjec- 
tive symptoms  by  which  his  patient  can  as- 
sist him  in  arriving  at  a  disagnosis  and  beside 
he  has  the  objective  symptoms  or  those  that 
he  can  detect  from  physical  examination.  The 
veterinarian  who  would  be  successful  in  dif- 
ferentiating the  diagnosis  of  these  different 
conditions  must  have  a  very  good  knowledge 
of  the  anatomy  and  physiology  of  the  respir- 
atory organs,  when  in  the  healthy  state  and 
he  must  have  a  systematic  and  careful  man- 
ner of  examining  the  patient.  Many  different 
things  must  be  taken  into  consideration,  and 
it  truly  is  a  fact  that  the  veterinarian  who  is 
able  to  intelligently  and  successfully  treat  dis- 
eases of  cows,  is  and  must  be  a  good  diagnos- 
tician. 

The  history  of  the  case  should  always  be 
learned  as  well  as  possible,  but  too  much  de- 
pendence must  not  be  placed  in  this,  as  some 
people  will  deliberately  misrepresent  matters 
to  test  the  skill  of  the  veterinarian.  Deter- 
mine whether  the  condition  is  acute  or 
chronic ;  this  can  many  times  be  determined 
from  the  general  condition  of  the  animal,  al- 


The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  79 

ways  remembering  that  bad  weather  is  usually 
the  cause  of  this  class  of  diseases  in  cows. 

Careful  notice  should  be  taken  of  the  sani- 
tation of  the  quarters  in  which  the  sick  ani- 
mals have  been  kept.  Inquire  as  to  whether 
the  animal  has  had  any  treatment  and  what 
kind.  Do  not  be  afraid  to  get  the  history  of 
the   case. 

The  experienced  cattleman  can  draw  many 
conclusions  from  the  attitude  and  position  of 
the  sick  cow.  They  have  a  characteristic  ex- 
pression and  attitude  that  they  assume  while 
standing,  while  walking,  w^hen  lying  down  or 
v.  hen  getting  up.  They  have  a  peculiar  facial 
expression.  Many  men  can  tell  by  looking 
into  the  face  of  a  cow  that  they  are  in  pain. 
When  they  have  a  high  fever  the  skin  seems 
dry  and  harsh  and  inelastic;  this  fact  is 
quickly  noticeable.  The  general  condition  and 
the  state  of  nutrition  in  which  the  animal  is 
found  will  many  times  be  indicative  of  the 
length  of  time  the  animal  has  been  sick.  Never 
fail  to  take  into  consideration  the  age,  breed, 
temperament  and  the  constitution  of  the  ani- 
mal, as  this  has  a  very  material  bearing  many 
times,  in  arriving  at  a  diagnosis. 

When  the  mucous  membrane  lining  the 
eyes,  nose  and  mouth  is  paler  than  usual,  it 
indicates  that  the  animal  is  illy  nourished  or 
has  lost  blood  from  disease  or  from  hemor- 
rhage. In  other  cases  where  this  membrane 
is  very  red,  it  indicates  that  the  animal  has 


60  The  Cow  in  Health  and    Disease. 

a  fever  or  an  inflammation.  AVhen  the  mem- 
brane is  bluish  it  is  an  indication  that  the 
blood  is  not  receiving  enough  oxygen.  This 
condition  is  found  in  severe  pneumonia  or 
weak  heart. 

Cough  may  be  either  a  primary  symptom  of 
disease  when  it  is  due  to  the  irritation  of  the 
mucous  membranes  lining  the  respiratory  or- 
gans, or  it  may  be  secondary  when  it  is  the 
result  of  some  derangement  of  the  intestines 
or  stomach  or  other  parts  of  the  body  th?.t 
have  a  nervous  communication  with  the  res- 
piratory apparatus.  A  cough  has  special  char- 
acteristics and  are  known  as  dry,  harsh,  moist, 
difficult,  sympathetic,  and  hollow,  and  each 
of  them  has  a  special  significance  to  the 
trained  observer. 

The  respiratory  acts  or  the  breathing,  has 
an  important  part  in  the  determining  of  this 
class  of  conditions.  We  may  have  labored, 
intermittent,  accelerated,  slovr,  deep,  shallow, 
irregular  and  imperfect  respirations.  The  act 
of  respiration  consists  of  taking  the  air  into 
the  lungs  or  inspiration,  and  throwing  the  air 
out  of  the  lungs  or  expiration.  In  the  nor- 
mal, healthy  cow,  the  respirations  are  from 
15  to  18  per  minute.  Several  things  will 
change  this  however,  among  them  being  preg- 
nancy, rumination,  or  chewing  the  cud  and 
sleeping.  After  making  observations  in 
healthy  cows  one  soon  learns  to  recognize  a 
great  difference  in  the  respiratory  movements. 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  91 

A  filling  up  of  some  of  the  area  in  the  lungs 
with  exudate  in  pneumonia,  pleurisy,  or  pain 
of  the  chest  walls,  fluid  in  chest  cavity,  weak 
heart,  adhesions  between  chest  walls  and 
lungs,  (such  as  often  occur  after  pleurisy), 
bloating  of  the  rumen,  growths  in  the  nose 
and  throat  or  swelling  of  the  throat  and  fevers 
will  all  cause  rapid,  irregular  and  difficult 
breathing  which  is  known  as  dysponea.  A 
very  valuable  symptom  when  properly  inter- 
preted. 

It  is  well  to  take  the  temperature  of  all  sick 
cows.  The  normal  temperature  of  the  cow 
is  from  101  to  102  degrees  Fahrenheit,  but 
pregnancy,  digestion  and  exercise  will  make 
slight  changes  in  the  temperature,  but  when 
there  is  a  rise  of  2  degrees,  or  more  it  is  the 
result  of  some  diseased  process.  The  ther- 
mometer should  be  inserted  in  the  rectum  and 
be  allowed  to  remain  two  or  three  minutes. 

The  secretions  of  the  mucous  membranes 
will  change  with  varying  respiratory  disor- 
ders. With  cold  in  the  head,  you  will  have 
moist,  wet  secretions  from  the  eyes  and  nose 
while  with  bronchitis  and  some  conditions  as 
pneumonia  where  the  temperature  is  high, 
the  mucous  membranes  will  be  quite  devoid 
of  secretions  and  are  quite  dry. 

The  pulse  of  the  cow  is  somewhat  faster 
than  the  horse,  being  normally  45  to  50  times 
a  minute.  We  have  a  fast  and  a  slow  pulse,  a 
full  pulse,  an  imperceptible  pulse,  regular,  ir- 


82  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

regular,  thready  pulse,  large  pulse,  small  pulse 
and  intermittent.  The  pulse  is  best  counted 
and  studied  by  pressing  the  fingers  against 
the  submaxillary  artery  where  it  passes  under 
the  lower  jaw  bone.  It  is  necessary  to  press 
the  artery  against  the  jaw  bone  in  order  to 
determine  the  character  of  the  pulse.  Much 
practice  with  the  pulse  of  healthy  cattle  will 
enable  the  operator  to  arrive  at  an  accurate 
conclusion  of  the  characteristics  of  the  pulse 
in  various  diseased  conditions. 

By  applying  the  ear  over  the  chest  wall  in 
the  region  of  the  lungs  soft  whistling,  rustling 
sounds  are  heard.  If  the  lungs  are  partly 
filled  with  fluid  due  to  pneumonia  or  if  secre- 
tions are  abundant  from  any  other  causes,  the 
air  will  make  a  bubbling,  crackling,  sound  as 
it  passes  through  the  liquid.  The  bronchial 
sounds  are  much  plainer  and  are  more  harsh 
and  rasping  like,  than  the  sounds  emanating 
from  the  lungs.  Practice  is  the  only  means 
we  learn,  to  differentiate  between  these  differ- 
ent sounds.  There  is  a  peculiar  sound  that  is 
caused  by  the  lungs  and  the  lining  of  the 
chest  rubbing  together  when  an  animal  has 
pleurisy  and  when  it  has  been  heard  a  time  or 
two,  it  is  very  easily  recognized  in  subsequent 
cases. 

By  tapping  or  striking  over  the  diseased 
part  we  are  sometimes  able  to  tell  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  part  from  the  sounds  that  are 
produced.     The  lung  in  health  is  always  filled 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  63 

V  ith  air  and  due  to  this  fact,  a  hollow  reso- 
nant sound  is  produced  when  tapping  or  strik- 
ing above  the  part.  'Usually  this  is  done  by 
placing  the  left  hand  flat  upon  the  chest  and 
tapping  upon  it  smartly  with  the  first  three 
fingers  of  the  right  hand.  The  left  hand  is 
moved  over  the  region  of  the  lungs  and  we  are 
sometimes  able  to  recognize  a  filling  of  some 
parts  of  the  lung,  with  a  fluid  or  a  solidifica- 
tion of  a  part  of  the  lung.  This  is  another 
means  of  diagnosis  that  can  only  be  acquired 
by  diligent  and  persistent  practice. 

*'Cold  in  the   Head." 

This  condition  is  also  known  as  catarrh  of 
the  head  or  sometimes  as  rhinitis. 

This  condition  is  usually  mild  and  very  sel- 
dom fatal,  but  if  complicated  by  a  severe  sore 
throat  it  is  sometimes  fatal.  It  is  most  often 
brougth  about  by  animals  that  are  accustomed 
to  shelter,  being  exposed  to  damp  or  stormy 
weather.  It  may  also  be  caused  from  irritat- 
ing or  noxious  gases.  At  first  a  reddening  of 
the  lining  of  the  nostrils  and  eyes  is  noticed. 
This  is  quickly  followed  by  a  watery  discharge 
from  the  eyes  and  nose.  At  first  not  much 
attention  is  paid  to  this  condition  but  the  dis- 
charge becomes  more  profuse  and  the  animal 
develops  a  high  temperature  and  the  discharge 
may  become  heavy  and  contain  pus.  The  ani- 
mal   becomes    greatly    weakened    and    is    dull. 


84  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease . 

does  not  move  around  much,  has  an  impaired 
appetite. 

The  first  thing  that  should  be  done  is  to  get 
the  animal  into  a  warm  yet  well  ventilated 
barn.  If  cold,  blanket  the  animal.  All  drink- 
ing water  should  have  the  chill  removed.  Only 
the  best  of  feed  and  that  in  small  quantities 
should  be  given.  Take  six  ounces  of  spirits 
of  camphor  and  two  ounces  of  fluid  extract  of 
belladonna  and  give  one  (1)  tablespoonful  of 
this  mixture  in  a  little  water  as  a  drench  about 
every  three  or  four  hours.  Good  care  is  the 
most  essential  thing  in  the  treatment. 

"Bleeding  From  the  Nose." 

This  condition  is  often  spoken  of  as  epis- 
taxis,  and  is  quite  rare  in  cattle.  This  condi- 
tion mav  be  the  result  of  injuries  the  same  as 
in  other  animals,  but  it  is  not  at  all  common. 
In  aged  cows  in  an  unthrifty  condition  we 
have  sometimes  seen  quite  a  severe  hemor- 
rhage or  bleeding  from  either  one  or  both  nos- 
trils. This  usually  takes  place  from  a  month 
to  six  weeks  before  the  pregnant  cow  gives 
birth  to  her  young.  Does  not  occur  in  cows 
that  are  not  with  calf.  The  bleeding  may  per- 
sist until  several  pints  of  blood  has  been  lost 
and  then  cease  of  its  own  accord,  but  many 
times  leaves  the  animal  in  a  weakened  condi- 
tion. If  this  condition  is  not  properly  treated 
these  hemorrhages  may  recur  at  intervals  of  a 
vseek  or  ten  days  and  then  at  calving  time  if 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  65 

the  cow  experiences  any  great  difficulty  in  giv- 
ing birth  to  her  young  it  may  leave  her  in  such 
a  physical  condition  that  death  will  result. 

Keep  the  animal  quiet  and  bathe  the  head 
and  nostrils  with  cold  water.  Apply  cold  wa- 
ter to  the  head.  Tie  the  head  up  to  a  rack  or 
beam.  If  it  does  not  stop  within  a  reasonable 
time  call  a  veterinarian  who  can  either  use 
styptic  injections  to  check  it  or  hypodermics 
of  adrenalin.  To  prevent  the  recurrence  of 
the  hemorrhages  take  8  ounces  of  the  tincture 
of  iron  chloride  and  of  this  give  two  (2)  table- 
spoonsful  in  water  as  a  drench,  night  and 
morning  until  the  cow  has  calved  when  all 
danger  will  have  passed. 

"Bronchitis." 

This  is  an  inflammation  of  the  mucous  mem- 
brane lining  the  bronchial  tubes,  be  they  the 
main  bronchi  or  the  capillary  bronchial  tubes. 
This  condition  is  most  often  spoken  of  as 
catching  cold.  It  in  itself  is  not  often  fatal, 
but  if  complicated  with  other  diseases  it  may 
prove  fatal. 

The  animal's  temperature  may  go  up  to  104 
or  105  degrees.  A  cough  is  present  which 
may  be  and  usually  is  indistinct  and  incom- 
plete. The  inspirations  are  incomplete  and 
short  and  gives  the  animal  much  pain.  The 
expirations  are  prolonged.  By  placing  the 
ear  over  the  lungs  various  sounds  may  be 
heard   corresponding  to  the   extent   to   which 


^6  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease, 

the  disease  has  progressed  and  the  amount  of 
exudate  that  is  present.  If,  however,  these 
bronchial  tubes  fill  up  with  fluid  the  animal 
dies  from  suffocation.  The  appetite  is  lost 
and  the  pulse  is  fast  and  hard. 

The  animal  should  be  placed  in  a  well  ven- 
tilated and  comfortable  box  stall.  The  bow- 
els should  be  kept  in  good  condition  by  the 
use  of  laxatives  and  proper  feeds.  Keep  the 
cow  warm  even  though  it  requires  blanketing. 
Use  the  following:  Fluid  extract  belladonna  2 
ounces;  spirits  of  camphor,  4=  ounces,  and  aro- 
matic spirits  of  ammonia,  10  ounces.  Give 
two  (2)  tablespoonsful  in  water  as  a  drench 
three  times  each  day.  The  animal  should  be 
fed  lightly  and  it  should  be  of  the  best  qual- 
ity. This  condition  is  apt  to  become  chronic 
and  then  not  a  great  deal  can  be  done  for  it 
in  many  cases.  If  the  case  seems  severe  from 
the  start  a  competent  veterinarian  should  be 
employed. 

"Pleurisy." 

This  is  an  inflammation  of  the  membrane 
lining  the  chest  cavity  and  that  covering  the 
lungs.  It  is  rarely  found  as  an  independent 
disease,  but  usually  found  associated  with 
pneumonia  and  is  no  doubt  caused  by  the  same 
disease  germ.  It  may  occur  as  an  independent 
disease  due  to  a  fractured  rib  or  a  deep  punc- 
tured wound. 

When   the   animal  is  first  noticed  it  has  a 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  Q7 

great  deal  of  pain.  It  does  not  move  around 
much  and  when  it  does  it  will  move  as  though 
foundered.  The  breathing  is  very  fast,  but 
is  mostly  abdominal  and  very  shallow.  The 
ribs  are  fixed.  Movem.ents  of  the  animal  give 
pain.  Pressure  between  the  ribs  causes  the 
animal  to  evince  pain.  A  short  grunting 
sound  is  heard  most  times  in  breathing  and 
the  expiration  is  much  longer  than  the  inspira- 
tion. The  muzzle  is  hot  and  dry  and  the  ap- 
petite is  absent.  The  animal  is  constipated 
and  the  temperature  will  be  around  105  or  106 
degrees  Fahrenheit.  If  the  ear  is  placed  over 
the  chest  cavity  a  hoarse  rasping  sound  is 
heard  and  this  is  caused  by  the  rubbing  to- 
gether of  the  two  dry  inflamed  surfaces.  After 
a  couple  of  days  the  temperature  drops  to  103 
or  104  degrees  and  the  animal  begins  to  eat 
and  secretions  of  the  serous  membranes  begin 
to  fill  up  the  chest  cavity  and  the  sounds  be- 
come less  harsh  as  the  cavity  fills  up.  If 
medicinal  treatment  can  not  stimulate  the  ab- 
sorption of  this  fluid  in  the  cavity,  the  animal 
gradually  grows  weaker,  the  breathing  shorter 
and  more  hurried  and  the  animal  has  an  anx- 
ious haggard  expression,  which  is  soon  ended 
by  death.  If  a  veterinarian  can  be  had  that 
can  perform  an  operation  and  draw  off  this 
fluid  from  the  chest  cavity  from  time  to  time 
it  may  be  the  means  of  saving  the  animal's 
life.     Death    will     not     usually    occur    sooner 


S8  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

than  from  10  days  to  two  weeks  nor  later  than 
the  third  week. 

Give  the  animal  the  same  general  care  as 
recommended  for  bronchitis.  Keep  the  bow- 
els active.  Give  the  same  treatment  for  the 
cough  here  as  mentioned  under  bronchitis. 
Take  of  fluid  extract  of  bryony  and  give  one 
(1)  tablespoonful  in  a  little  water  every  three 
hours;  this  will  very  materially  assist  in  the 
absorption  of  the  exudate.  Take  of  oil  of 
mustard  one-half  ounce  and  petroleum  eight 
ounces.  Thoroughly  mixed,  rub  in  on  each 
side  of  the  chest  over  the  lungs.  Do  not  rub 
too  vigorously;  this  will  have  the  same  effect 
as  a  mustard  plaster  and  is  much  easier  kept 
in  place.  If  the  life  of  the  animal  is  threat- 
ened it  requires  an  operation  as  mentioned 
above  which  must  be  performed  by  your  veter- 
inarian. 

"Pneumonia." 

This  condition  is  divided  by  most  authors 
in  at  least  three  different  types  or  classed  in 
three  different  groups,  but  we  feel  that  very 
few  individuals  can  differentiate  between  these 
conditions  clinically,  and  as  the  treatment  of 
them  all  is  practically  the  same,  we  will  speak 
of  it  simply  as  pneumonia.  All  of  these  types 
are  caused  by  the  same  germs  and  the  only 
difference  is  in  the  way  the  respiratory  organs 
are  affected. 

The   condition    immediately    preceding  the 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  89 

pneumonia  of  cows  is  congestion  of  the  lungs. 
The  animal  may  be  seen  having  a  chill  which 
may  last  only  two  or  three  hours  or  which 
in  other  cases  may  last  several  hours.  This 
may  be  of  short  duration  and  escape  the  at- 
tention of  the  attendant.  The  temperature 
will  be  found  to  be  105  or  106  degrees  Fahren- 
heit, and  occasionally  even  higher  than  that. 
The  respirations  are  greatly  accelerated  and 
very  shallow,  the  pulse  is  quick  and  hard  and 
the  nostrils  are  dilated;  a  cough  may  be  pres- 
ent at  this  time.  The  nose  is  hot  and  dry  and 
the  animal  is  usually  constipated.  Pressure 
between  the  ribs  over  the  lungs  gives  the  ani- 
mal pain.  The  animal  stands  with  the  fore- 
legs spread  apart  and  the  elbows  turned  out- 
ward. The  hair  is  standing  on  end  and  the 
skin  is  harsh  and  dry.  On  placing  your  ear 
over  the  region  of  the  lungs  a  soft  crackling, 
snapping  sound  will  be  heard.  During  this 
time  the  animal  stands  most  of  the  time.  After 
this  first  stage  has  passed  the  temperature 
drops  somewhat  and  the  animal  lies  down 
most  of  the  time.  The  expression  becomes 
haggard  and  the  pulse  becomes  hard  and  wiry. 
The  secretion  of  milk  is  almost  suspended. 
The  sounds  of  the  lungs  are  nothing  but  a 
whistling  or  wheezing  sound.  If  the  lungs 
could  be  seen  at  this  time  they  would  very 
much  resemble  the  liver  in  appearance. 

If  the  animal  is  going  to  recover  the  cough 
becomes  loose,  and  the  other  symptoms  beg^n 


90  The  Cow  in  Hemlth  and  Disease. 

to  subside,  the  appetite  returns  and  the  ani- 
mal is  generally  improved  in  all  ways.  If, 
however,  the  case  is  not  progressing  favorably 
the  breath  will  have  a  foetid  smell  and  is  taken 
in  very  short  gasps.  The  extremities  are  cold 
and  feel  clammy  and  the  pulse  can  not  be  felt. 
These  symptoms  are  an  indication  that  death 
is  a  matter  of  a  very  short  time. 

It  is  doubtful  after  the  first  symptoms  ot 
pneumonia  have  developed  if  it  is  possible  to 
abort  the  disease,  but  we  do  feel  that  if  intel- 
ligently handled  at  this  time  that  the  severity 
of  the  attack  can  be  so  lessened  as  to  make  it 
a  comparatively  slight  ailment  in  many  cases 
and  greatly  lessen  its  effects  in  most  others. 
This  condition  should  be  treated  early,  as  this 
is  the  time  when  the  real  good  is  done.  In 
this  condition  the  more  fresh  air  the  better, 
just  so  there  are  no  draughts.  Blanket  the 
animal  well  and  then  see  that  there  is  an  abun- 
dance of  fresh  air.  See  that  the  bedding  i« 
clean  and  plenty  of  it.  The  chill  should  be 
taken  off  the  drinking  water.  The  feed  should 
be  given  often  and  in  small  quantities  and 
should  be  appetizing.  The  first  thing  to  do 
after  blanketing  the  animal  and  making  it 
comfortable  in  the  right  surroundings,  is  to 
apply  a  coating  of  the  mustard  and  petroleum 
as  referred  to  above.  Have  your  druggist  put 
you  up  several  powders  of  Sparteine  sulphate- 
each  containing  30  grains  and  dissolve  one  of 
these  in  a  small  quantity  of  water  and  give 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  91 

every  four  hours.  If  the  animal  can  be  kept 
eating  it  will  greatly  favor  the  patient's  chance 
for  recovery.  For  this  take  fluid  extract  of  nux 
vomica  and  gentian  of  each  tv^o  ounces  and 
give  of  this  one-half  tablespoonsful  every  three 
hours  in  a  little  water.  If  the  animal  is  con- 
stipated give  a  small  laxative  dose  of  epsom 
salts  or  oil. 

"Heaves." 

This  condition  is  also  known  as  emphysema 
and  is  caused  by  a  rupture  of  the  very  small 
air  cavities  of  the  lung.  It  makes  a  peculiar 
respiratory  action  in  which  the  inspiration  is 
normal  but  the  expiration  is  prolonged  and 
difficulty  in  expelling  the  air  from  the  lungs. 
The  diagnosis  can  be  made  from  this  charac- 
teristic breathing.  The  animal  is  usually 
emaciated,  hide  bound  and  the  coat  is  staring. 

There  is  no  treatment  for  this  condition  and 
as  it  does  not  materially  affect  the  milk  flow 
nor  the  appetite  and  the  best  thing  to  advise 
is  to  prepare  such  animals  for  the  block  where 
their  condition  is  such  that  they  will  make 
good  meat  and  why  not  destroy  them  for 
humanity's  sake. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CONTAGIOUS  ABORTION   IN   CATTLE. 

By  the  term  contagious  or  infectious  abortion 
we  refer  to  those  cases  of  abortion  that  occur 
enzootically  in  otherwise  healthy  animals  from 
some  infection  that  produces  a  local  inflamma- 
tory condition  of  the  uterus  and  foetal  mem- 
branes of  the  foetus.  This  condition  has  been 
recognized  as  contagious  from  the  beginning  of 
the  last  century  in  some  of  the  mountainous  dis- 
tricts of  the  old  world,  but  the  causative  agents 
had  not  been  discovered  before  1876  with  any 
degree  of  certainty  and  yet  there  is  some  con- 
troversy concerning  the  cause  of  this  condition. 

This  is  most  commonly  found  in  cows,  but  it 
may  be  found  in  mares,  ewes,  sows  and  goats. 
It  has  been  possible  to  produce  abortion  by  arti- 
ficial inoculation  also  in  rabbits  and  bitches.  This 
is  a  disease  that  occurs  mostly  in  fine,  well  bred 
cattle,  that  are  kept  in  stables  and  are  forced  for 
large  milk  yield,  and,  for  this  reason,  it  has  be- 
come one  of  the  greatest  menaces  to  the  dairy 
industry  that  this  country  has  ever  known.  It  has 
also  been  found  in  range  cattle.     Its  loss  in  the 

92 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  93 

dairies  is  not  only  from  the  number  of  calves 
that  are  lost,  but  the  loss  in  milk  flow  and  the 
trouble  that  is  consequently  encountered  in  get- 
ting the  cow  to  conceive  again. 

This  disease  is  caused  by  the  bacilli  Coryne- 
bacterium  Abortus  Infectiosi.  It  may  retain  its 
virulence  for  several  months  in  the  uterus  of  the 
cow,  in  its  secretions  or  in  the  dead  foetus. 
It  is  destroyed  very  readily  by  very  mild  anti- 
septic solutions. 

The  infection  may  be  taken  up  by  the  external 
genital  organs  but  more  often  it  is  transmitted 
to  the  cow  from  the  bull  during  copulation.  The 
bull  usually  receiving  the  infection  from  serving 
some  cow  which  is  already  affected.  The  infec- 
tion may  be  introduced  by  various  objects  that 
are  used  in  caring  for  the  animals.  It  may  also 
be  taken  up  with  the  feed  and  water — the  feed 
and  water  becoming  contaminated  by  the  mem- 
branes and  fluids  which  envelop  the  foetus.  The 
infection  of  the  male  by  the  female  and  the  con- 
sequent infection  of  other  females  soon  spreads 
the  infection  through  a  large  herd.  The  abor- 
tions are  usually  some  little  time  apart,  and, 
after  the  first  one  or  so  occurs,  there  will  be 
some  time  elapse  and  it  may  be  some  little  time 
before  the  owner  awakens  to  the  fact  of  the  ac- 
tually existing  condition.  In  this  way  it  is  al- 
lowed to  gain  a  foothold  and  the  means  that 
should  have  been  applied  for  its  prevention  have 
not  been  used. 

This  infection  which  gains  access  to  the  va- 


94  The  Cow  in  Health  and   Disease. 

gina  during  copulation  has  the  power  of  passing 
the  mucous  plug  in  the  neck  of  the  uterus,  gaining 
access  to  the  uterus  where  it  sets  up  a  catarrhal 
inflammation  of  the  mucous  membranes  lining 
the  uterus  and  also  the  membranes  covering  the 
foetus  and  also  the  attachments  between  the  cho- 
rion or  outside  layer  of  the  covering  of  the  foetus 
and  the  cotyledons,  to  which  the  membrane  is 
attached.  This  produces  a  secretion  and  grad- 
ually the  membrane  becomes  loosened  from  the 
cotyledons  or  their  attachments  and  then  the 
contents  of  the  uterus  or  the  foetus  is  expelled. 
During  this  diseased  condition,  the  bacilli  caus- 
ing this  condition  may  gain  access  to  the  foetus 
itself.  Sometimes,  however,  the  foetus  is  not  ex- 
pelled but  simply  mummifies  and  is  retained  to 
full  term  and  sometimes  even  longer.  A  cow 
will  often  abort  twice,  but  not  usually  more  than 
three  times  at  the  most. 

Cows  most  often  abort  in  the  fifth  or  sixth 
month  and  mares  from  the  fourth  to  eighth 
month  of  pregnancy.  Animals  that  are  preg- 
nant for  the  first  time  will  usually  abort  earlier 
than  those  that  are  older  or  that  aborted  prev- 
iously. Abortion  may  occur  at  an  earlier  or  later 
date,  however.  The  first  symptoms  that  are  no- 
ticed are  a  catarrhal  inflammation  of  the  genitals 
with  a  swelling  of  the  vulva  and  an  inflamma- 
tion of  the  vagina  with  a  mucous  discharge  which 
is  always  dirty,  but  may  be  clear  or  of  a  dirty 
gray  or  occasionally  a  bloody  discharge.  In  cows 
the  milk  flow  is  diminished  and  looks  much  like 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  95 

the  first  milk  or  colostrum  that  the  cows  give 
at  the  first  milking  after  calving. 

In  two  or  three  days  following  these  symptoms 
tlie  abortion  takes  place,  with  slight  general  dis- 
turbances. If  this  occurs  early  in  pregnancy,  the 
afterbirth  is  usually  passed  with  the  foetus,  but 
if  it  occurs  later  it  may  be  passed  subsequently 
or  even  retained  for  some  little  time  and  may  be 
removed  manually.  Following  the  abortion  there 
is  a  dirty  brown  or  bloody  discharge  for  several 
days  which  may  be  putrid.  This  discharge  may 
accumulate  in  the  uterus  and  be  expelled  at  in- 
tervals by  straining.  When  the  animal  is  bred 
early  the  abortion  usually  takes  place  early  in 
the  stage  of  gestation ;  and,  if  the  animal  is  bred 
after  several  months,  the  animal  is  more  likely 
to  carry  the  foetus  to  full  term.  Many  of  the 
animals  fail  to  conceive  after  the  abortion  and 
most  of  them  with  difficulty.  Those  abortions 
that  occur  early  are  usually  dead,  but  those  that 
are  nearer  full  term  are  often  alive,  and  emit  a 
hoarse  bellownng  sound  which  is  more  than  likely 
due  to  some  disease  of  the  brain. 

The  nature  of  the  condition  can  be  determined 
by  the  symptoms  that  precede  the  abortion,  and 
by  the  catarrhal  inflammation  that  persists  for 
such  a  length  of  time  after  abortion  and  by  the 
subsequent  abortions  that  take  place  in  the  herd, 
and  also  by  the  condition  of  the  membranes  of 
the  foetus  which  contain  a  large  amount  of  puru- 
lent exudate  on  it.  There  are  several  sero-diag- 
nostic  tests  that  are  being  perfected  for  this  con- 


96  The  Cow  in  Health  and   Disease. 

dition  the  same  as  we  have  for  glanders  in  horses, 
and  tuberculosis,  and  it  is  more  than  likely  in 
the  next  few  years  that  we  shall  have  positive 
methods  of  determining  animals  that  are  infected 
with  this  condition. 

This  condition  will  prevail  for  several  years 
if  not  properly  guarded  against.  The  abortions 
occurring  with  more  regularity  for  some  time 
and  then  those  cows  that  have  aborted  two  or 
three  times  will  usually  give  birth  to  healthy 
calves  and  the  new  cows  or  heifers  will  abort 
and  finally  it  will  die  out  of  its  own  accord  after 
several  years. 

Those  animals  that  are  apparently  healthy 
should  be  removed  from  those  affected,  if  pos- 
sible. If  not  possible,  they  should  be  kept  in 
separate  stables  or  in  a  part  of  the  stable  by 
themselves,  and  the  stable  should  be  thoroughly 
disinfected  and  the  litter  removed  and  disin- 
fected, or  better  still,  destroyed.  Those  healthy 
animals  should  have  the  external  genitals  and 
vagina  washed  once  or  twice  daily  with  a  mild, 
non-irritating  antiseptic  solution.  The  antisep- 
tice  should  not  be  strong,  or  it  will  produce  an 
irritation  and  straining. 

Animals  that  have  aborted  should  have  their 
uterus  irrigated  two  or  three  times  daily  with 
an  antiseptic  solution  till  the  discharge  has 
stopped,  and  then  every  two  or  three  days  for 
about  two  weeks.  The  foetus  should  be  burned 
or  else  scalded  and  buried  deeply.  The  litter  or 
bedding  should  be  destroyed  and  the  stall  should 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  91 

be  thoroughly  disinfected.  The  animal  should 
not  be  bred  for  about  two  months  after  the  abor- 
tion, and  if  she  then  fails  to  conceive,  if  she  has 
had  proper  treatment,  she  should  be  sold. 

Methylene  Blue  has  to  date  given  by  far  the 
best  results  in  the  treatment  of  this  condition  in 
the  way  of  an  internal  treatment,  but  should  be 
employed  in  two  or  three  times  as  large  doses  as 
is  usually  used.  Carbolic  acid  has  been  recom- 
mended both  subcutaneously  and  orally. 

New  animals  that  are  brought  to  the  herd 
should  be  kept  by  themselves  and  watched  for 
some  little  time  before  being  placed  with  the  herd. 
They  should  receive  the  same  prophylactic  treat- 
ment as  the  other  members  of  the  herd.  By 
keeping  the  animals  that  have  aborted  and  treat- 
ing them  properly  and  then  breeding  them,  you 
can  much  sooner  get  rid  of  the  infection. 

It  is  only  a  matter  of  time  until  we  will  be  able 
to  immunize  cattle  against  this  abortion  by  a 
properly  prepared  immunizing  agent,  the  same 
as  we  are  now  able  to  immunize  animals  against 
hog  cholera  and  against  tetanus  or  lockjaw  and 
several  other  fatal  and  serious  animal  diseases. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

FOOT  AND  MOUTH  DISEASE. 

Of  all  the  animal  plagues  that  have  visited 
America,  that  of  foot  and  mouth  disease  which  we 
have  experienced  within  the  last  year  has  made 
more  history  than  all  of  the  others  combined. 
Its  sudden  appearance,  the  rapidity  with  which  it 
spread  and  the  proportions  which  it  reached  have 
caused  much  wonder  and  comment  among  the  ag- 
riculturalists of  the  United  States.  There  has 
been  an  abundance  of  speculation  concerning  this 
condition  and  a  great  part  of  it  has  come  from 
people  who  are  not  experienced  in  diseases  of 
this  kind  and  therefore  should  not  carry  a  great 
deal  of  weight.  It  is  true  that  we  have  had  sev- 
eral outbreaks  in  this  country — three  or  four  at 
least — during  the  last  few  years ;  but  none  of 
them  reached  any  size  before  they  were  discov- 
ered and  proper  measures  taken  for  their  dispo- 
sition. 

A  great  deal  has  been  said  about  the  careless- 
ness in  handling  the  recent  outbreak,  but  it  may 
be  possible  that,  if  everything  was  known,  those 
who  were  taking  care  of  this  condition  were  do- 

98 


The  Cciv  in  Health  and  Disease.  99 

ing  all  that  could  possibly  have  been  done  under 
the  circumstances.  A  great  many  things  look 
different  to  most  of  us  once  we  get  in  on  the 
ground  floor.  In  the  first  place,  very  few  veter- 
inarians in  this  country  had  ever  seen  a  case  of 
this  disease,  and,  for  this  reason,  some  of  them 
were  taken  unprepared.  Very  few  people  realized 
the  intent  and  purpose  of  the  quarantine.  The 
lack  of  sympathy  and  support  of  the  farmers  and 
stockmen  of  this  country  was  another  thing  that 
was  very  detrimental  to  the  administrative  pow- 
ers that  were  handling  the  disease,  and  yet  the 
Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  did  not  have  suffi- 
cient force  with  which  to  do  all  the  work  as  they 
should  like  to  have  done. 

It  seems  to  me  that  very  few  people  realize  the 
vast  size  of  the  United  States  when  they  talk 
about  many  things,  and  they  surely  fail  to  take 
into  consideration  the  vastness  of  the  live  stock 
industry  of  this  country  when  they  talk  about 
foot  and  mouth  disease.  We  have  heard  people 
talk  as  if  they  really  believed  that  the  live  stock 
killed  on  account  of  the  recent  outbreak  of  foot 
and  mouth  disease  formed  a  large  part  of  the 
stock  of  this  country.  If  they  but  knew  what 
a  small  fraction  of  a  per  cent  the  nnmber  of 
slaughtered  animals  vas  to  the  total  num.ber 
in  the  United  States,  v  e  are  sure  many  of  them 
would  feel  they  vvcre  very  foolish  indeed  to 
think  as  they  have  been  thinkin.*:;-. 

We  learn  from  our  past  experiences  and  from 
the  history  of  other  peoples  and  nations.     We 


100  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

have  no  right  to  dispute  authentic  history  when 
recorded  by  recognized  authority.  We  have  peo- 
ple that  have  never  made  any  effort  to  learn 
whether  this  condition  is  the  same  as  they  have 
among  the  live  stock  of  the  old  country,  yet  they 
do  not  hesitate  to  make  the  assertion  that  it  is 
not.  The  veterinarians  of  America  are  not  sur- 
passed by  any  other  country  in  the  world ;  they 
are  younger  as  a  profession.  However,  all  of 
onr  veterinarians  of  note  have  diagnosed  this 
as  the  same  as  the  European  condition.  Not 
a  single  veterinarian  that  we  know  of  has  made 
the  claim  that  it  is  not  the  same  disease.  We 
have  seen  several  cases  of  it  ourselves,  and, 
from  what  we  have  observed,  and  from  what 
we  have  learned  from  the  best  European  liter- 
atr.re  available,  we  can  not  see  one  bit  of  dif- 
ference between  this  and  that  of  the  old  world. 
While  the  veterinarians  of  this  country  have 
said  that  it  is  the  same  condition  and  offered 
many  proofs  that  it  is  as  they  say,  we  have 
never  found  a  single  individual  who  has  been 
able  to  offer  one  good  proof  that  it  is  not.  It 
is  one  thing  to  make  an  assertion  of  something 
which  you  believe  to  exist  and  another  thing  to 
prove  it.  We  are  at  present  waiting  for  the 
proofs. 

It  seems  a  shame  that  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent live  stock  papers  of  this  country  has  taken 
the  stand  that  it  has  about  this  matter  and  stirred 
up  the  antagonism  toward  the  veterinary  profes- 
sion that  they  have.     We  have  one  consolation. 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.         101 

and  that  is,  they  are  standing  alone.  Several  of 
the  other  farm  papers  and  live  stock  papers  have 
written  editorials  that  have  surely  been  a  credit 
to  any  sane  and  just  editor.  The  bad  feature  of 
the  other  paper  of  which  we  are  speaking  is 
that  they  took  everything  for  granted  and  did 
not  give  the  profession  a  chance  to  defend 
themselves.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  member  of  the 
profession  would  have  deemed  it  worth  his 
while  to  reply  to  such  an  editorial  as  this  one. 

Foot  and  mouth  disease  has  been  prevalent 
in  the  old  world  for  many  years  and  has  gained 
such  a  foothold  that  it  has  very  seriously  crip- 
pled the  live  stock  industry  of  almost  all  of  those 
countries.  England,  France,  Spain,  Germany 
and  others  have  spent  millions  of  dollars  in  an 
effort  to  eradicate  this  disease  and  have  been 
unsuccessful.  It  would  seem  that  if  they  spend 
millions  of  dollars  in  an  effort  to  eradicate  it, 
they  must  think  it  is  a  detriment  to  the  live 
stock  industry.  Practically  all  of  the  noted  au- 
thorities on  veterinary  medicine  in  the  old  world 
claim  that  the  slaughter  method  is  the  only  meth- 
od to  pursue  when  you  have  a  new  outbreak. 
They  have  had  many  years'  experience,  why 
should  they  not  know?  The  authorities  of  the 
United  States  have  had  personal  letters  from 
some  of  the  best  veterinarians  in  the  European 
countries  since  this  outbreak  started  advising 
them  as  to  the  value  of  the  method  they  were  em- 
ploying in  combatting  the  disease. 

Foot  and  mouth  disease  is  not  a  fatal  disease, 


102  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

and,  unless  complications  set  in,  the  mortality  is 
very    low.     There    is    a    type,    however,    known 
as    the    malignant    type,    in    which    the    mor- 
tality   is    very    high.    This    type    is    not    very 
common.     It  causes  its  greatest  loss  in  the  re- 
duction of  the  productiveness  of  the  animal,  also 
the  loss  of  flesh.     Fat  animals  that  are  almost 
ready  for  market  lose  flesh  very  rapidly.     With 
milk  cows  the  flow  of  milk  is  very  rapidly  dimin- 
ished.    It  was  said  by  a  prominent  veterinarian 
in  England,  and  one  who  had  a  prominent  part 
in  handling  the  disease  in  that  country,  that  the 
loss  to  each  cow^  giving  milk  was  at  least  $20. 
Taking  into  consideration  the  number  of  milk 
CO  -s   in   the   United   States,   we   wonder  how 
many  times  this  loss,  if  every  milk  cow  in  the 
United  States  would  become  affected,  would  be 
the  cost  of  the  eradication  of  this  last  outbreak. 
\\'e  should  judge  that  it  would  be  well  into  the 
thousands  at  least.     One  attack  of  the  disease 
does  not  render  the  animal   immune;  it  may 
have  several  attacks  of  the  same  disease,  and 
besides,  an  animal  that  has  apparently  recov- 
ered   may    carry    the    contagion    to    another 
animal.     These   are   known  as   virus   carriers. 
It    is    the    loss    of    the    milk    flow    and    also 
the    loss    of    flesh    that    makes    this    condition 
such  a  detriment  to  the  dairy  industry.    It  is  milk 
that  they  are  after.    Their  aim  is  to  develop  cows 
that  will  produce  a  large   flow  of  milk  that  is 
rich  in  butter- fat,  and  no  cow  that  is  poor  and 
weak  and  thin  and  poorly  nourished  can  do  this. 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.         103 

Many  people  are  of  the  opinion  that  this  out- 
break took  many  herds  of  dairy  cattle,  but  the 
number  that  were  slaughtered,  when  compared 
to  the  whole  number  in  the  United  States,  would 
be  a  drop  in  the  bucket. 

If  this  disease  w^ould  gain  a  foothold  on 
American  soil  so  it  could  not  be  eradicated,  it 
would  be  a  serious  factor  in  lowering  the  cost  of 
dairy  cattle,  as  no  one  would  care  to  pay  a  high 
price  for  such  cattle  when  there  was  such  a  dis- 
ease lurking  in  this  country.  It  would  mean  that 
several  of  our  best  breeders  would  quit  the  breed- 
ing of  this  class  of  cattle,  as  they  would  figure 
that  the  risk  would  be  too  great.  This  would  also 
make  the  risk  so  great  from  showing  animals 
that  very  few  owners  of  high  class  animals 
would  want  to  take  the  risk  that  would  be  neces- 
sary to  show  their  cattle  at  shows.  This  condi- 
tion once  getting  a  foothold  in  a  dairy,  even 
though  the  government  did  not  quarantine  and 
slaughter,  would  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks 
reduce  the  herd  in  producing  ability  to  a  point 
far  below  that  which  it  had  possibly  taken  the 
breeder  many  years  to  reach.  Its  effect  upon 
the  dairy  industry  would  very  favorably  compare 
with  that  of  infectious  abortion ;  it  would  simply 
cripple  many  of  the  dairymen  to  such  an  extent 
that  they  would  quit  the  business,  as  they  could 
not  stand  the  losses  it  would  bring  about.  The 
ease  with  which  it  may  be  transmitted  by  various 
animals  and  other  agents,  including  feeds,  man- 
ures, grains,  hays,  hired  help  and  cattle  buyers 


104  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

and  many  others,  makes  it  a  dangerous  condition, 
to  say  the  least. 

We  firmly  believe  that  the  people  will  be- 
come more  firmly  convinced  in  the  course  of 
time  that  the  method  adopted  by  the  Bureau  of 
Animal  Industry  during  the  last  outbreak  was 
the  only  logical  way  of  handling  this  situation, 
and  we  believe  in  time  that  the  people  will 
become  more  educated  about  this  condition  and 
they  will  see  the  dangers  which  we  hope  we 
have  escaped. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  COW'S  UDDER  AND  MILK  SECRE- 
TION. 

The  mammary  glands  are  peculiar  to  all  of 
the  mammalian  animals,  the  highest  class  of  ani- 
mals and  the  class  to  which  our  domestic  ani- 
mals belong.  The  mammary  gland  of  the 
cow  is  commonly  spoken  of  as  the  udder  and 
originally  only  supplied  milk  for  her  young, 
but  since  the  cow  has  been  domesticated  she 
produces  milk  for  human  consumption,  one  of 
the  most  important  articles  of  food. 

The  udder  of  the  cow  is  a  compound  gland 
divided  into  two  symmetrical  halves  and  each 
half  is  again  divided  into  equal  parts,  thus 
making  four  quarters  of  the  cow's  udder.  From 
each  quarter  is  suspended  a  teat  which  has 
an  opening  at  the  lower  end  from  which  the 
milk  may  be  drawn.  Occasionally  there  is  a 
pair  of  rudimentary  teats,  which  are  of  no  con- 
sequence and  do  not  give  any  milk.  At  the 
base  of  each  teat  is  a  cavity,  known  as  the 
galactophorous   sinus,    in  which    the   milk   is 

105 


106  The   Cow  in  Health  and   Disease, 

stored.     This  holds  as  much  as  one  quart  in 
some  cows. 

The  interior  of  the  cow's  udder  is  made  up 
of  numerous  lobes,  united  by  cellular  tissue 
which  is  yellow  in  color.  Each  of  these  lobes 
is  further  subdivided  into  lobules  which  are 
composed  of  very  small  cavities  known  as 
alveoli,  acini  or  cells.  The  fat  content  of  the 
milk  is  derived  from  these  small  lobules.  The 
fluid  part  of  the  milk  is  secreted  here  and 
passes  through  these  small  ducts  to  the  lobes, 
where  it  gains  access  to  still  larger  ducts. 
These  common  ducts  from  each  lobe  converge 
toward  the  base  of  the  teat  and  form  a  cavity, 
known  as  the  lactiferous  sinuses;  these  com- 
municate quite  freely  and  form  right  at  the 
base  of  the  teat.  The  whole  number  of  them 
is  known  as  the  galactophorous  sinus  and  thi.i 
is  where  the  milk  is  stored  until  milking  time. 

The  udder  of  the  heifer  is  usually  small  and 
firm,  but,  as  parturition  approaches,  it  be- 
comes swollen  and  tender  showing  that  there 
are  changes  going  on  within  it.  At,  or  imme- 
diately after  calving,  milk  is  formed  in  the 
udder. 

There  are  two  processes  that  contribute  to 
the  formation  of  milk,  as  follows:  The  small 
acini  or  alveoli,  mentioned  above,  furnish  the 
fat  content  of  the  milk  from  the  shedding  of 
cells  lining  these  cavities,  and  the  fluid  por- 
tion of  the  milk  is  formed  from  the  lymph  that 
flows  through  the  udder.     If  we  examine  one 


The   Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  107 

of  these  small  acini  or  alveoli  of  an  animal 
that  has  never  been  pregnant,  we  will  find  that 
the  cells  lining  it,  and  also  the  small  acini,  are 
much  fewer  in  number  than  they  are  in  an 
animal  that  is  milking;  the  cells  are  also  of  a 
very  slow  growing  kind  and  may  be  so  nu- 
merous as  to  fill  up  this  small  cavity.  When 
the  heifer  gets  with  calf  these  small  acini  be- 
come greater  in  number  and  cells  that  fill 
them  are  discharged  with  the  first  milk  which 
is.  known  as  colostrum.  If  examination  is 
made  before  the  udder  has  been  milked,  the 
cells  lining  these  small  acini  will  be  apparently 
flat;  but  if  the  udder  is  milked  out  the  cells 
will  be  long  with  a  constricted  base  and  com- 
ing free  from  the  base  are  discharged  as  the 
fat  of  the  milk.  They  leave  behind  them  the 
parent  cell  from  which  other  cells  grow.  This 
process,  continued,  produces  the  fat  content 
of  our  milk.  No  fat  consumed  by  an  animal, 
but  a  protein  diet  influences  the  fat  content  of 
milk.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  these  exam- 
inations must  be  made  with  a  microscope. 

The  fluid  part  of  milk  is  composed  of  water, 
proteins,  salts,  and  sugar.  These  are  taken 
from  the  lymph  that  flows  through  the  udder, 
by  the  cells  lining  the  small  alveoli  and  lo- 
bules. The  lymph  is  made  up  largely  from 
the  blood,  being  the  fluid  part  of  it,  with  nour- 
ishment from  the  digested  food  eaten  by  the 
animal.  The  blood  in  flowing  through  the 
arteries  and  capillaries  finally  arrives  at  ves- 


108  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

sels  that  are  too  small  to  allow  the  passage  of 
the  corpuscles,  then,  from  the  process  of  trans- 
fusion, the  fluid  part  of  the  blood  passes  on 
out  among  the  tissues  which  are  filled  with 
small  spaces  known  as  lymph  spaces.  In  this 
way  the  lymph  carries  nourishment  to  the  cells 
comprising  this  part  of  the  body.  These  small 
alveoli  or  acini  in  the  udder  act  as  lymph 
spaces  and  are  filled  with  lymph.  The  cells 
lining  these  alveolar  spaces  extract  a  large 
per  cent  of  the  solid  matter  and  most  of  the 
liquid  from  the  lymph,  and  mixes  it  with  the 
fat  cells  that  go  to  make  up  the  fat  of  the  milk. 
This  mixture  is  then  carried  down  through 
the  various  ducts  to  the  galactophorous  sinus 
where  it  is  stored  until  the  next  milking  time. 
The  remainder  of  the  lymph  is  carried  back 
through  the  lymph  vessels  and  finally  into  the 
blood  circulation  again. 

The  quantity  of  lymph  produced  by  a  cow 
in  24  hours  is  estimated  at  from  20  to  90 
quarts,  but  this  does  not  mean  that  this  is  all 
the  lymph  that  is  in  the  cow's  body. 

The  quantity  of  water  that  the  cow  con- 
sumes influences  the  flow  of  milk  sliuhtlv  but 
to  no  great  extent.  The  manner  in  which  it 
does  this  we  are  not  able  to  explain. 

The  fact  that  the  lymph  has  a  mixture  of 
some  substances  digested  by  the  cow  will  no 
doubt  explain  the  manner  in  which  some  feed 
will  produce  a  characteristic  odor  in  the  milk 
of  the  animal  which  has  eaten  it. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  COW'S  UDDER. 

Diseases  of  the  udder  may  be  classed  as  two 
kinds ;  those  resulting  from  external  sources 
such  as  bruises,  contusions,  injuries  by  sharp 
pointed  objects,  and  the  like;  and  those  that 
are  due  to  internal  conditions  such  as  too  rich 
feed  and  forced  feeding  in  order  to  stimulate 
a  heavy  milk  flow.  These  conditions  may  be 
infectious  and  non-infectious,  such  as  infec- 
tious mammitis  and  simple  mammitis. 

Treatment  of  the  diseases  of  the  udder  is  so 
often  unsatisfactory  that  it  should  be  the  aim 
of  every  dairyman  to  prevent  them  by  proper 
care  and  attention  rather  than  to  wait  until 
the  disease  is  well  developed  and  then  expect 
successful  treatment.  It  is  an  old  saying  "an 
ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure." 
We  believe,  though,  that  the  least  prevention 
of  a  cow's  udder  from  disease  is  worth  more 
than  all  the  cures  that  you  can  possibly  em- 
ploy. 

The  cowl's  udder  is  a  very  highly  developed 
gland,  composed  of  very  sensitive  tissues  and 
109 


110  The  Cow  in  Health  and   Disease. 

a  network  of  blood  vessels  through  v.hich 
blood  and  lymph  are  carried  and  from  which 
the  fluid  portion  of  the  milk  is  secreted.  A 
good  milking  co  .v  has  a  most  highly  developed 
udder  which  is  more  likely  to  become  deranged 
either  through  carelessness  or  from  injury. 
A  cow  of  this  kind  will  usually  demand  a  great 
deal  of  attention  just  before  calving  time,  as 
the  udder  may  become  swollen  and  red,  and 
tender  and  hot  to  the  touch,  ^vhich  indicates  an 
inflammation.  At  this  time  milk  will  usually 
be  found  in  the  udder  and  should  be  milke(} 
out.  The  milking  should  be  done  as  carefully 
as  possible  and  should  be  repeated  three  or 
four  times  daily  if  necessary.  The  cow  should 
have  not  more  than  half  feed  for  about  10  days 
or  two  w^eeks  before  calving,  and  three  or  four 
days  before  this  time  she  should  receive  a  dose 
of  some  good  laxative,  also  plenty  of  exercise 
in  the  open  air. 

Some  cows  have  large,  pendulous  udders 
which  are  often  injured  when  the  cows  get  up 
or  lie  down,  especially  if  the  stall  is  too  small. 
Injuries  are  sometimes  sustained  while  the 
cows  are  in  the  pasture  or  Vvhen  they  step  ov?^ 
high  door  sills  and  the  like.  Occasionally  the 
udder  is  injured  by  coming  in  contact  with  a 
cement  floor  when  no  bedding  is  used.  These 
wounds  should  receive  attention,  as  they  be- 
come very  serious  if  the  injury  becomes  in- 
fected. The  treatment  which  we  recommend 
at  the  end  of  this  article  for  simple  mammitis 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease,  HI 

will  do  very  well  for  this  class  of  injuries. 

Bloody  Milk. 

Due  to  the  enormous  flow  of  blood  through 
the  udder  and  the  great  number  of  blood  ves- 
sels, we  frequently  have  bloody  milk  in  the 
heavy,  rich  milkers.  Sometimes,  the  first 
thing  that  is  noticed  is  a  slight  pink  tinge  to 
the  milk  when  it  is  drawn  and  it  will  be  some- 
what frothy.  Soon  streaks  of  blood  and  small 
clots  will  be  noticeable.  As  this  is  due  to  a 
congestion  and  a  rupture  of  some  of  the  small 
blood  vessels  of  the  udder,  it  becomes  neces- 
sary to  draw  the  milk  with  as  little  manipula- 
tion of  the  udder  as  possible.  This  condition 
is  usually  brought  about  by  feeding  large 
quantities  of  rich  and  sometimes  irritating 
feeds  in  an  effort  to  stimulate  a  heavy  milk 
flow ;  therefore,  the  feed  should  be  reduced  to 
about  one-half  and  the  cow  should  receive  a 
laxative.  If  it  is  caused  by  an  injury,  the 
same  procedure  should  be  observed.  If  laree 
quantities  of  blood  are  observed  and  the  udder 
is  tender,  it  is  advisable  to  use  a  sterile  milk 
tube  for  drawing  the  milk  for  a  while.  The 
teat,  and  tube,  should  be  sterilized  with  a  mild 
antiseptic  before  the  tube  is  used,  or  infection, 
will  be  introduced  which  is  worse  than  the 
ruptured  blood  vessel  which  is  rarely  ever  of 
any  consequence  if  taken  care  of  properly  as 
soon  as  it  is  noticed. 


112  The  Cow  in  Health  and   Disease. 

Tuberculosis. 

This  condition  can  not  be  determined  defi- 
nitely by  a  physical  diagnosis,  but  requires 
the  tuberculin  test  to  confirm  the  diagnosis. 
This  disease  is  quite  common  in  old  dairy  cows 
which  have  been  heavy  milkers.  It  manifests 
itself  usually  in  hard  tumorous  masses  of  dif- 
ferent sizes.  Sometimes  the  udder  will  yield 
a  thick  heavy  yellow  substance  which  resem- 
bles pus  which  may  in  reality  be  a  tubercular 
abscess,  but  more  often  it  is  a  hard  i'rm  mass 
which  can  be  very  readily  felt  upon  palpita- 
tion of  the  udder.  When  such  a  condition  of 
the  udder  is  found  the  presence  of  tuberculosis 
should  be  suspected  and  the  tuberculin  test 
should  be  immediately  applied  to  confirm  or 
disprove  the  diagnosis. 

Tumors  of  the  Udder. 

If  the  tuberculin  test  fails  to  show  tubercu- 
losis in  those  cows  whose  udders  contain  hard 
indurated  masses  that  are  discernible  by 
manipulation,  it  is  plain  that  we  then  have  a 
tumor  of  the  udder.  These  growths  are  usual- 
ly benign  in  character  in  comparison  to  those 
of  the  human  family  which  are  usually  malig- 
nant or  of  the  cancer  variety.  Surgical  inter- 
ference is  not  practiced  for  this  class  of  con- 
ditions and  it  is  not  often  that  medicinal  treat- 
ment would  be  of  much  value. 

Suppression  of  Milk. 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.         113 

This  condition  will  result  from  insufficient 
feed,  debilitating  disease,  and  ill  health,  but, 
occasionally,  it  will  be  seen  in  a  cow  which 
will  apparently  be  in  good  health  and  will 
show  no  signs  of  any  sickness  or  irregularity. 
This  condition  is  caused  by  an  affection  or  a 
temporary  paralysis  of  the  trophic  nerves 
which  stimulate  the  secretory  action  of  the 
udder  and  it  should  be  treated  immediately. 
When  this  condition  is  first  noticed,  the  cow 
gives  only  about  half  as  much  milk  as  she 
has  been  giving  and  in  the  very  next  milking 
she  will  give  very  little  milk  at  all. 

In  our  practice  we  have  gotten  better  re- 
sults from  the  use  of  one-half  ounce  fluid  ex- 
tract of  Nux  Vomica  and  one  ounce  of  fluid 
extract  of  Pilocarpus  or  Jaborandi,  same  to  be 
divided  into  three  doses  and  a  dose  to  be  given 
every  three  or  four  hours.  Milking  the  teats 
the  same  as  though  milk  was  being  drawn  will 
assist  in  stimulating  the  secretion  of  milk. 

Simple  Mammitis. 

Simple  mammitis  is  a  condition  that  is  usu- 
ally spoken  of  among  cattlemen  and  dairymen 
as  garget.  It  is  a  simple  congestion  of  the 
udder.  It  attacks  the  cow  in  various  ways. 
Its  severity  at  times  puts  the  animal  off  feed 
and  raises  the  temperature  several  degrees, 
and  may  almost  completely  stop  the  milk 
flow.  At  other  times  it  will  be  so  mild  as  to 
cause  very  little  inconvenience.     The  frequent 


114  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

emptying  and  the  kneading  of  the  udder  by  a 
sucking  calf's  nose  will  sometimes  be  all  the 
treatment  necessary.  The  temperature  in  the 
simple  congestion  of  which  we  are  now  speak- 
ing is  rarely  above  two  or  three  degrees.  The 
milk  flow  is  decreased  to  some  extent  and,  as 
the  disease  progresses,  the  milk  becomes  wa- 
tery and  finally  contains  strings  and  clots. 
The  udder  is  doughy  to  the  touch.  Reduce 
the  feed  and  bathe  the  udder  with  hot  water, 
after  which  it  should  have  a  thorough  yet  a 
gentle  massage  with  one  part  of  poke  root, 
belladonna  or  spirits  of  camphor  in  seven  or 
eight  parts  of  lanolin  or  vaseline.  If  the  ud- 
der begins  to  soften  after  several  hours  of 
treatment,  it  is  usually  a  good  symptom  that 
the  case  is  terminating  favorably  and  that  the 
f^mction  of  the  gland  will  be  restored. 

Infectious  Mammitis. 

The  cow  affected  with  infectious  mammitis 
will  usually  refuse  to  eat.  The  hair  stands  on 
end  and  the  nose  is  hot  and  dry.  The  tem- 
perature is  very  high,  as  much  as  106  Fahren- 
heit, and  the  animal  usually  walks  with  a  limp. 
The  respiration  and  the  heart  beat  are  greatly 
increased.  The  animal  usually  stands  around 
much  of  the  time  as  it  is  painful  for  it  to  walk, 
and  it  refuses  to  chew  its  cud. 

It  is  inadvisable  for  the  owner  to  attempt 
to  treat  this  class  of  ailments  and  the  best 
thing  to  do  is  to  get  a  veterinarian  as  soon  as 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.         115 

possible.  The  same  treatment  that  we  have 
outlined  for  simple  mammitis  should  be  used 
until  the  veterinarian  can  be  had.  The  water 
that  is  given  the  cow  if  it  be  cold  weather 
should  have  the  chill  taken  off  and  the  cow 
should  be  protected  from  the  cold  by  blankets. 
The  udder  should  be  suspended  with  a  large 
bandage.  An  animal  so  affected  should  be 
isolated  from  the  other  cows,  and  the  caretaker 
should  not  attend  to  any  of  the  other  cows. 
It  is  very  necessary  in  this  condition  that  in- 
ternal treatment  be  of  the  very  best  and  this 
should  always  be  prescribed  by  a  competent 
veterinarian.  The  majority  of  these  cases 
leave  the  cow  without  the  use  of  that  part  of 
the  udder  that  was  affected.  Many  times  it 
is  necessary  to  amputate  the  quarter  of  the 
udder  affected. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

DISEASES   OF  THE   COW'S   TEATS. 

Diseases  of  the  cow's  teats  are  of  much  im- 
portance to  the  cow  owner  because  the  cow  some- 
times forms  bad  habits  while  affHcted  witn  such 
diseases.  Permanently  injured  teats  and  a  com- 
plication of  the  adjacent  part  of  the  udder  often 
result  in  causing  permanent  injury  and  resist- 
ance to  treatment. 

These  diseases  may  be  divided  into  those  af- 
fecting the  exterior  and  the  interior  of  the  teat. 
They  may  be  caused  by  predisposing  conditions 
such  as  infection  from  bacteria  that  are  always 
present,  and  from  infection  and  inflammation 
that  may  spread  from  within  outward  during 
diseases  of  the  udder.  Exciting  conditions  such 
as  use  of  mechanical  instruments,  pressure  dur- 
ing milking,  injuries  from  stepping  on  teats 
when  getting  up  or  lying  down,  stepping  over 
high  sills,  injuries  from  bushes,  shrubs  and  the 
like  in  the  pasture  and  from  standing  or  wad- 
ing in  dirty,  filthy  mud  or  water  or  through 
manure  pits  may  also  cause  diseased  teats. 

Those  cows  having  large,  pendulous  bags  and 

116 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.         117 

large  teats  often  step  on  them  when  getting  up 
and  lying  down.  After  milking  with  a  wet  hand 
or  after  calf  sucking,  the  cold,  damp  air  will  oc- 
casionally make  them  sore.  Some  young  heifers 
have  an  abnormal  udder  or  teat  development, 
others  have  teats  in  which  there  is  no  milk  duct 
at  all.  Although  some  quarters  of  the  udder 
with  ductless  teats  secrete  milk  the  same  as  the 
others,  it  is  necessary  to  make  artificial  openings 
through  the  teats  and  dry  her  up  and  beef  her. 
In  some  teats  the  milk  duct  is  closed  from  the 
growth  of  the  lining  membrane  and  in  others 
there  is  no  opening  between  the  milk  sinus  and 
the  milk  duct.  Some  of  these  last  named  cases 
are  amenable  to  treatment  and  in  others  it  is  un- 
satisfactory. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  some  condi- 
tions of  the  teats  can  not  well  be  treated  when 
the  cow  is  giving  milk,  but  only  at  the  dry  period. 

Chapped  or  Cracked  Teats. 

This  condition  may  be  caused  by  one  of  sev- 
eral causes,  such  as  sucking  of  the  calf,  milking 
the  cow  with  wet  hands,  wading  through  wet 
grass  or  through  mud  and  water,  or  from  lying 
on  wet  bedding.  It  is  then  brought  about  by 
the  chilling  of  the  skin  by  the  cold  air. 

This  condition  varies  greatly,  owing  to  the 
time  that  has  elapsed,  the  manner  of  treatment 
and  the  sensitiveness  of  the  skin  covering  the 
teats.  At  first  it  will  be  but  a  dryness  and  red- 
ness of  the   skin   with   marked   tenderness   evi- 


118  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

denced  while  milking;  but,  if  allowed  to  go  along 
without  treatment,  the  manipulations  during  milk- 
ing and  the  other  influences  such  as  moist,  damp 
atmosphere  will  sometimes  result  in  deep  cracks 
or  fissures  on  the  surface  of  the  teats,often  in- 
volving the  deeper  layers  of  the  skin. 

If  this  condition  is  recognized  early,  the  teat 
should  be  painted  after  each  milking  with  a  com- 
pound tincture  of  benzoin,  using  a  camel's  hair 
brush.  If  the  condition  is  pretty  well  advanced 
before  treatment  is  well  applied  it  is  then  well  to 
use  an  antiseptic  solution  such  as  germicidal  discs 
in  :  olution  of  1  to  1,000,  filling  cup  wnth  the  so- 
lution and  then  holding  against  the  udder  al- 
lowing the  teat  to  be  suspended  in  the  solution 
for  at  least  five  minutes  after  each  milking  and 
then  paint  with  the  following:  One-half  ounce 
tincture  of  iodine  in  two  ounces  (by  volume)  of 
glycerine,  using  a  camel's  hair  brush.  If  there 
are  any  scabs  formed,  the  solution  just  recom- 
mended will  remove  them  and  besides  it  is  a  very 
good  antiseptic.  It  is  sometimes  necessary  to  use 
a  sterile  milk  tube  to  draw  the  milk,  as  the  teats 
are  too  sore  to  stand  milking. 

Teats  Blocked  by   Casein. 

Due  to  unhealthy  conditions  of  the  udder,  a 
teat  will  occasionally  become  blocked  with  coagu- 
lated casein  which  becomes  very  hard  and  dry 
from  the  loss  of  the  liquid  which  it  ordinarily 
contains,  can  often  be  moved  up  and  do\vn  in 
the  milk  duct  of  the  teat  and  often  removed.    If 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.         119 

unable  to  remove,  a  small  quantity  of  almond  oil 
which  has  been  previously  boiled  should  be  in- 
jected into  the  teat  and  then,  after  a  few  min- 
utes, it  can  usually  be  removed  with  the  aid  of  a 
spring  dilator. 

Warts  on  the  Teats. 

Warts  give  more  or  less  trouble  when  found 
on  the  teats  and  are  very  detrimental  to  an  ani- 
mal that  otherwise  might  be  a  show  animal. 
Possibly  the  best  way  to  rid  the  cow  of  them  is 
to  snip  them  off  v/ith  a  sharp  pair  of  scissors 
and  then  paint  the  spot  with  tincture  of  iodine 
after  each  milking.  This  should  be  done  when 
the  cow  is  dry.  If  done  while  the  cow  is  giving 
milk,  it  may  be  necessary  to  draw  the  milk  with 
a  tube  for  a  few  days. 

Calculus  or  Stone  in  the  Teats. 

The  teats  of  cows  have  been  known  to  contain 
calculus  or  stones  which  are  formed  from  the 
calcareous  salts  that  are  found  in  the  milk.  If  it 
is  impossible  to  remove  them  by  the  use  of  a 
spring  dilator,  it  will  be  necessary  to  have  a  vet- 
erinarian remove  them  surgically,  preferably 
best  be  done  when  the  co  .v  is  dry. 

Tumor  in  the  Teat. 

We  occasionally  find  a  teat  that  is  obstructed 
with  a  warty  or  tumorous  growth  and  this  may 
occur  anywhere  between'  the  orifice  to  the  base 
of  the  teat.    It  is  advisable  to  call  a  veterinarian 


120  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

to  handle  these  conditions  as  it  is  most  times 
necessary  to  remove  them  surgically,  and  this  can 
best  done  when  the  cow  is  dry. 
Ciosure  of  Milk  Duct  by  Lining  Membrane. 
This  usually  takes  place  while  the  cow  is  dry 
and  is  not  discovered  until  she  freshens.  It  some- 
times is  possible  to  draw  some  milk  from  the 
teat  that  is  affected,  as  the  closure  is  not  always 
complete.  We  have  been  able  in  a  few  instances 
to  open  the  milk  duct  by  working  the  milk  tube 
from  side  to  side  and  then  in  a  circle.  If  this 
is  not  successful  or  is  impossible,  it  is  then  neces- 
sary to  take  a  small  bistoury  which  is  made  for 
that  purpose  and  cut  through  the  thickening  in 
at  least  two  directions.  Keep  this  open  by  a 
spring  dilator  until  healing  has  taken  place. 

This  condition  is  caused,  no  doubt,  from  an 
inflammation  within  the  milk  duct  which  brings 
the  walls  in  apposition  and  they  unite,  either 
wholly  or  in  part,  thus  closing  the  milk  duct, 
either  completely  or  partially. 

Stricture  of  the  Teat. 

This  is  a  condition  which  to  the  average  cow 
owner  seems  very  simple,  yet  we  are  frank  to 
say  that  in  our  experience  it  does  not  yield  satis- 
factorily to  the  modern  methods  of  treatment 
that  are  now  employed  by  practicing  veterinar- 
ians. We  believe,  though,  that  they  are  as  good 
as  can  be  employed  for  such  conditions.  It  is  a 
very  common  thing  to  see  a  severe  case  of  mam- 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease,  121 

mitis  follow  interference  that  is  practiced  in  an 
effort  to  relieve  a  stricture  of  the  teat. 

Stricture  of  the  cow's  teat  does  not  often  close 
the  milk  duct  entirely,  but,  when  it  does,  it  is 
usually  in  young  heifers  that  have  never  calved 
before.  If  the  stricture  is  near  the  end  of  the 
teat,  the  teat  will  fill  with  milk  quite  readily, 
which  will  either  draw  in  a  very  small  stream  or 
will  flow  in  several  small  streams  in  a  sort  of  a 
spray.  If  it  is  near  the  top  of  the  teat,  it  will  fill 
very  slowly,  but  it  can  be  drawn  from  the  teat 
quite  easily. 

A  stricture  located  in  the  end  of  the  teat  will 
often  yield  to  repeated  dilation.  Sterilize  a  teat 
dilator  and  wash  the  teat  with  an  antiseptic,  in- 
sert the  dilator  into  the  end  of  the  teat  and  dilate 
to  the  proper  opening,  then  let  it  remain  in  this 
position  for  a  couple  of  minutes,  after  which  the 
dilator  should  be  removed  for  a  couple  of  min- 
utes. This  procedure  should  be  performed  five 
or  six  times,  at  intervals  of  two  or  three  minutes 
rest  between  dilations,  and  treatments  should  be 
continued  for  several  times  at  intervals  of  two  or 
three  days.  A  stricture  that  is  located  high  in  the 
teat  should  be  treated  only  by  a  veterinarian,  and 
then  not  until  he  has  explained  to  the  owner  of 
the  cow  the  danger  of  complications  that  may 
iniure  that  quarter  of  the  udder.  It  is  strictly 
surgical  in  the  majority  of  cases,  but  in  a  few 
cases  where  the  stricture  is  not  too  high  up  a 
course  of  dilations  are  worthy  of  trial. 

Absence  of  Opening. 


122  The  Cow  in  Hemlth  and   Disease. 

We  sometimes  find  heifers  that  have  a  perfect 
udder  and  teat  development,  except  that  the  ex- 
ternal opening  of  the  teat  is  absent.  There  is 
usually  present  a"  small  depression  where  this 
should  be.  By  means  of  a  heavy  needle  or  a 
small  stylet  the  skin  may  be  punctured,  after 
which  the  needle  should  be  turned  from  left  to 
right  several  times,  using  care  that  it  is  not 
pushed  deeper  into  the  tissue  then  laid  aside, 
while  a  sterile  milk  tube  is  gotten  ready,  the 
opening  made  by  the  stylet  or  needle  is  enlarged 
by  a  small  curette,  after  which  the  tube  may  be 
pushed  through  the  opening  into  the  milk  duct. 
The  opening  should  be  kept  open,  until  healing 
has  taken  place,  by  a  dilator  or  a  small  piece  of 
gauze  soaked  in  glycerine,  allow^ing  it  to  pro- 
trude so  that  it  may  be  removed  in  24  hours. 
Fistula  of  the  Teats. 

This  condition  is  usually  due  to  an  injury  but 
may  be  the  result  of  mammitis  or  other  condi- 
tions affecting  the  udder.  It  is  sometimes  the  re- 
sult of  cutting  off  of  rudunontary  teats.  They 
may  have  a  milk  duct  and  in  that  case  they  may 
continue  to  drip  milk  continuously.  This  condi- 
tion is  very  refractory  to  treatment  and  it  re- 
quires surgical  treatment  to  affect  a  cure.  If  it 
has  been  of  longer  than  one  month's  standing,  it 
is  well  to  defer  treatment  until  the  cow  is  dry; 
if  not,  good  results  may  be  obtained  at  any  time. 

The  operation  requires  a  great  deal  of  skill 
and  should  not  be  attempted  by  anyone  that  has 
not  a  medical  education. 


CHAPTER  XV] I. 

RETENTION  OF  THE  PLACENTA. 

This  is  a  matter  which  many  stockmen  do 
not  regard  with  due  seriousness,  possibly  be- 
cause they  have  not  had  an  opportunity  of  ob- 
serving the  various  evils  resulting  from  the 
failure  of  the  cow  to  clean  properly. 

When  any  great  portion  of  the  placenta  or 
afterbirth  is  retained  in  the  uterus  for  any 
length  of  time  after  the  cow  has  given  birth 
to  a  calf,  there  usually  develops  a  varied  chain 
of  symptoms,  which  are  very  noticeable,  often 
serious,  and  many  times  fatal.  There  may  oc- 
cur a  simple  catarrh  of  the  uterus  in  which  the 
discharge  is  of  a  mucous  consistency  or  it  may 
be  a  thick,  hea^  y  pus  sometimes  containing 
streaks  of  blood.  There  may  be  a  cachexia  or 
unthriftiness  or  a  wasting  away,  or  there  may 
be  an  absorption  of  the  septic  or  poisonous 
matter,  known  as  septic  metritis,  which  often 
times  result  in  death  or  barrenness  of  the  cow. 

A  portion  of  the  afterbirth  may  remain  after 
the  cow  has  apparently  cleaned  normally,  and 
we  sometimes  find  shreds  or  portions  remain- 
123 


124  The  Cow  in  Hemlth  and   Disease. 

ing  after  it  has  been  removed  by  the  inexpe- 
rienced or  sometimes  when  the  veterinarian 
has  removed  it. 

When  the  simple  catarrhal  condition  of  the 
uterus  follows  this  retention,  the  tail  and 
escutcheon  are  soiled  with  a  mass  of  filth 
which  is  composed  of  pus  and  dirt,  and  when 
the  cow  is  in  the  recumbent  position  a  quan- 
tity of  pus  is  usually  noticed  to  flow^  from  the 
vagina.  Such  cow^s  in  a  herd  can  usually  be 
detected  from  the  odor  of  this  discharge. 
Milk  from  a  cow  in  this  condition  should  not 
be  used  for  human  consumption.  A  veterina- 
rian can  do  little  in  the  way  of  treating  this 
condition  unless  he  is  called  early,  as  the 
mouth  of  the  uterus  will  contract  so  that  it  is 
impossible  to  use  mild  antiseptic  irrigations. 
It  is  unsafe  to  use  such  irrigations  unless  it  is 
possible  to  syphon  off  all  the  solution,  because 
if  any  is  allowed  to  remain  it  may  produce 
such  irritation  and  straining  that  an  eversion 
of  the  vagina  may  take  place. 

With  the  resulting  cachexia  or  unthriftiness, 
that  we  have  spoken  of,  the  cow  gradually 
loses  flesh,  her  hair  is  rough,  she  gives  very 
little  or  no  milk,  there  is  a  loss  of  appetite,  she 
will  not  respond  to  any  extent  to  feeds  or  to 
tonics,  and  she  gradually  growls  weaker  and 
becomes  a  living  skeleton.  Sometimes  after  a 
year  or  so  she  regains  some  of  her  former 
health,  but  this  is  unusual.  Generally  the  cow 
wastes  away  and  dies  in  a  few  weeks. 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.  125 

In  other  cases  the  cow  absorbs  these  septic 
or  poisonous  products  and  this  condition  is 
known  as  septic  metritis  or  pyo-metra  and  is, 
commonly  speaking,  an  inflammation  of  the 
uterus,  due  to  the  absorption  of  the  poisonous 
material  wathin  it.  After  several  days  the 
cow  loses  her  appetite,  respiration  becomes  la- 
bored, and  the  temperature  may  reach  105  or 
106  degrees  Fahrenheit.  With  early  and  per- 
sistent treatment  some  of  these  cases  recover, 
but  when  they  do  recover  they  usually  leave 
the  cow  sterile  and  this  is  a  great  loss  to  the 
o.ner. 

With  any  of  the  above  conditions  it  is  not 
unusual  to  have  a  sterile  cow  after  recovery, 
but  sometimes  after  the  catarrhal  symptoms 
of  which  we  have  just  spoken  the  cow  may  be 
gotten  with  calf  with  persistent  service  or  at 
other  times  after  the  lapse  of  several  months 
up  to  a  couple  of  years.  If  it  is  not  possible  to 
get  her  with  calf  within  two  years  after  the 
above  condition,  very  little  hopes  should  be 
entertained  of  later  accomplishing  this. 

The  practice  of  tying  heavy  objects  to  that 
part  of  the  afterbirth  that  is  usually  found  pro- 
truding, in  an  effort  to  bring  it  away,  should 
not  be  allowed  as  it  usually  tears  the  after- 
birth so  that  a  part  of  it  remains.  The  inex- 
perienced can  often  do  more  harm  than  good 
in  these  cases,  and  it  is  poor  policy  to  allow 
them  to  attempt  this  unless  a  veterinarian  can 
not  be  had.     In  our  experience  we  find  it  is 


126  The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease. 

usually  best  to  wait  for  about  48  hours  in  most 
breeds  of  cattle  before  removing  the  after- 
birth, but  in  Jersey  cattle  it  is  good  policy  to 
wait  many  times  for  about  72  hours.  It  is 
practically  safe  to  wait  in  any  cow  for  at  least 
24  hours. 

Many  people  are  of  the  opinion  that  there 
is  some  way  of  preventing  this  retention,  and 
that  there  is  also  some  medical  agents  that 
can  be  given  that  will  cause  the  cow  to  pass 
them,  but  there  is  none  as  far  as  we  have  ever 
been  able  to  learn. 

Remember  that  early  intervention  is  to  be 
recommended  if  you  are  sure  that  the  cow  has 
retained  afterbirth,  that  veterinary  help  will 
be  of  little  account  unless  it  is  secured  early. 
Better  be  safe  first  than  to  take  any  chances 
of  losing  a  good  and  valuable  cow. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

LUMPY  JAW. 

This  condition  is  also  known  as  wooden  tongue 
from  the  fact  that  when  it  affects  the  tongue  of 
cows,  their  tongues  become  very  stiff. 

This  condition  is  usually  noticed  only  when  it 
produces  a  swelling  externally  and  this  is  most 
times  on  the  angle  of  the  jaw,  but  frequently  it 
affects  the  muscular  tissues  lying  between  the 
jawbones.  It  frequently  occurs  internally,  but 
it  is  doubtful  if  it  can  be  diagnosed  in  the  living 
animals;  it  is  no  doubt  many  times  diagnosed  as 
tuberculosis. 

This  is  a  disease  of  young  or  middle  aged 
cows  and  rarely  attacks  older  ones.  This  growth 
that  is  noticed  is  smooth,  firm  and  very  slowly 
increases  in  size,  until  finally  it  seems  to  attach 
itself  to  the  bone.  Many  of  these  growths  after 
a  time  get  soft  and  break  open,  discharging  a 
peculiar  pus,  very  much  resembling  the  mar- 
row of  the  bones.  Occasionally  there  will  be 
as  many  as  four  or  five  of  these  openings. 

This  is  considered  as  an  infectious  disease,  but 
it  is  not  often  that  we  find  more  than  a  single 

127 


128  The  Cow  in  Hemlth  and   Disease, 

case  or  at  best  a  couple  of  cases  in  any  one  herd. 
It  is  thought  that  it  is  caused  by  a  fungus 
growth  that  grows  on  the  grasses  and  grains 
that  are  usually  and  commonly  eaten  by  cows 
and  that  it  gains  access  to  the  region  of  the  head 
through  injuries  of  the  gums  and  mucous  mem- 
branes of  the  mouth,  and  through  diseased  teeth, 
and  also  when  the  young  shed  their  first  set  of 
teeth. 

When  this  condition  affects  the  tongue  of 
cows  it  may  progress  for  some  litxie  time  be- 
fore it  is  noticed ;  after  a  time  the  animal  will 
be  noticed  having  the  mouth  slightly  opened  and 
the  saliva  will  be  dribbling  from  her  mouth.  It 
will  be  noticed  that  she  has  difficulty  in  swal- 
lowing, and  watched,  it  will  be  observed  that 
she  can  scarcely  eat. 

If  the  tongue  be  examined  at  this  time  it  will 
be  found  to  be  stiff  and  hard.  Treatment  of 
such  cases  must  be  prompt  or  the  animal  may 
die  of  lack  of  nutrition. 

It  is  almost  marvelous  the  results  that  may 
be  obtained  in  treating  this  condition  in  the 
greater  number  of  cases;  if  treatment  is  begun 
before  the  bony  tissues  have  become  diseased 
we  have  almost  one  hundred  per  cent  of  cures ; 
after  the  bones  have  become  involved  treatment 
is  more  difficult. 

The  treatment  that  gives  such  results  in  these 
conditions  consists  in  administering  from  one  to 
two  drams  of  potassium  iodid  three  times  each 
day.     This  is  dissolved  and  given  in  water  as 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.         129 

a  drench.  The  following  is  a  good  way  to  have 
it  prepared:  two  ounces  potassium  iodid  dis- 
solved in  eight  ounces  of  water  and  then  give 
one  tablespoonful  in  a  little  water  as  a  drench 
three  times  daily.  The  external  swelling  i^hould 
be  painted  twice  daily  with  tincture  of   iodine. 

In  some  cases  it  requires  five  or  six  weeks 
to  effect  a  cure.  In  those  cases  affecting  the 
tongue  thee  is  apt  to  be  a  recurrence  unless 
the  treatment  is  persisted  in  for  this  length  of 
time.  In  some  cows  we  notice,  wh?.t  is  ternied 
lodism  and  that  is  a  condition  resulting  from 
an  overdose  of  the  potassium  iodid.  The  ani- 
mal's eyes  water,  there  is  a  catarrh  of  the  nose 
and  a  loss  of  appetite ;  when  such  symptoms  oc- 
cur the  treatment  should  be  discontinued  for 
three  or  four  days  until  these  symptoms  have 
subsided  and  then  the  treatment  should  be  re- 
peated as  before.  It  is  best  to  give  sufficiently 
large  doses  of  potassium  iodid  to  produce  th's 
condition  several  times  in  those  cases  affecting 
the  tongue.  Cases  that  will  not  respond  to  this 
treatment  in  five  or  six  weeks  should  be  re- 
garded as  hopeless  as  far  as  successful  trc:-t- 
ment  is  concerned. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  when  potris- 
sium  iodid  is  given  to  cows  that  are  far  ad- 
vanced in  pregnancy  that  it  may  occasionally 
produce  an  abortion  and  that  it  will  very  mate- 
rially affect  the  milk  flow  and  sometimes  w'll 
almost  check  it  altogether;  the  milk  should 
not  be  used  while  the  cow  is  under  treatment 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


MILK  FEVER. 


Milk  fever  is  of  common  occurrence  among 
high  producing  dairy  cows.  This  was  consid- 
ered, a  very  serious  disease  a  few  years  ago,  and 
in  the  majority  of  cases  the  animals  died.  To- 
day this  condition  is  very  rarely  fatal. 

Treatment  for  milk  fever  is  strictly  empira- 
cal,  but  it  is  certain  that,  even  if  we  understood 
the  causes  of  this  condition,  we  could  not  treat 
it  any  more  successfully  than  we  do  now.  Vet- 
erinarians can  handle  the  trouble  quite  success- 
fully. There  is  no  other  disease  in  which  the 
symptoms  develop  so  rapidly  and  become  so  se- 
rious in  such  a  short  space  of  time  as  do  those 
of  milk  fever,  and  yet  with  our  modern  treat- 
ment the  recovery  is  just  as  rapid  and  mystical 
as  is  the  development  of  the  disease. 

This  is  a  disease  that  cannot  be  determined  by 
symptoms  alone,  but  the  history  and  surround- 
ing circumstances  make  diagnosis  possible. 
From  wide  experience  the  cow  owner  is  able 
to  know  that  the  case  at  hand  is  milk  fever  and 
we  may  say  that  he  arrives  at  his  conclusion  by 

130 


The  Ccu)  in  Hetlih  and  Disease.         181 

intuition,  but  to  the  man  who  has  seen  several 
cases  of  this  kind  there  comes  to  mind  a  series 
of  symptoms  that  has  in  ail  probability  been 
unseen  by  the  attendant. 

This  is  a  disease  of  young  cows,  usually  those 
having  had  one  or  two  calves  and,  while  it  does 
affect  old  cows  occasionally,  it  is  not  at  all  com- 
mon. More  often  it  follows  an  easy  parturition 
and  is  rarely  seen  in  cows  that  have  experienced 
much  difficulty  in  giving  birth  to  their  calves. 
Cows  that  are  affected  are  invariably  in  good 
flesh  and  thrifty  and  are  heavy  milkers.  The 
disease  makes  its  appearance  in  the  majority  of 
cases  w^ithin  one  to  three  d?.ys  after  the  co^v 
has  calved,  but  has  been  known  to  occur  before 
birth  and  also  as  long  as  four  or  five  weeks 
after  calving.  These  latter  two  condit^'ons  are 
uncommon. 

As  a  rule  the  cow  is  down  when  she  is  found 
by  the  attendant,  but  the  line  of  symptom.s  that 
w^ould  be  observed  are  pretty  much  as  follows : 
The  cow  refuses  to  eat  and  stands  without  p-y- 
ing  any  attention  to  feed  or  surroundings.  If 
she  moves  it  is  with  a  stiff,  v/obbly  gait  and  it 
is  noticed  that  she  cannot  control  her  hind  pnrts 
but  weaves  and  staggers  as  she  walks.  The 
muscles  begin  to  quiver  and  she  shows  all  signs 
of  having  a  chill.  She  will  shift  her  w^eight  con- 
tinually from  one  leg  to  the  other.  In  the  course 
of  an  hour  or  so  at  most  and  often  within  the 
time  after  the  cow  is  seen  she  goes  down  ;  she 
lies  on  her  breast,  but  ^'^  unable  to  get  up ;  she 


132  The  Cow  in  Health  and   Disease, 

seems  very  drowsy  and  rapidly  gets  worse  until 
soon  sne  is  insensible  and  totally  unaware  of 
tinngs  that  are  going  on  about  her.  Her  head 
is  turned  on  her  siae  and  in  this  position  she 
hes.  L.ieaLhing  is  iicavy  and  she  quite  often 
i.io.jis  and  grunts  as  if  in  great  pain,  but  this 
IS  not  due  to  pain  bui  rather  the  result  of  the 
insensibility  that  is  present.  There  is  very  lit- 
tle nnlk  to  be  found  in  the  udder  and  the  secre- 
t  on  of  saliva  is  very  scanty.  There  is  no  move- 
ment of  the  bowels  or  passing  of  the  urine  dur- 
ing this  time. 

Warm  water  should  be  secured  and  an  anti- 
septic solution  should  be  prepared  in  which  the 
milK  fever  apparatus  can  be  cleaned.  The  cow 
is  rolled  into  such  a  position  that  all  the  teats 
can  be  worked  with  by  the  operator;  what  little 
milk  may  be  in  them  sliould  be  milked  out.  The 
teats  are  then  washed  carefully  in  the  antiseptic 
solution  and  the  treatment  is  applied  by  means  of 
a  milk  fever  apparatus,  which  consists  of  a  milk 
tube  to  which  is  attached  a  small  rubber  hose. 
In  the  center  of  the  hose  is  a  small  metal  cham- 
ber containing  absorbent  cotton  saturated  with  a 
good  disinfectant  and  on  the  other  end  is  to  be 
found  a  small  rubber  bulb  or  small  metal  pump. 
The  milk  tube  is  inserted  into  one  of  the  lower 
teats  and  the  teat  is  tensely  distended  with  air; 
then  the  corresponding  teat  is  inflated,  and  then 
the  other  two.  To  keep  the  air  from  leaking  out 
of  the  teats,  push  the  end  of  the  teat  in  with 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.         133 

the  fingers.  Do  not  use  strings  or  rubber  bands 
to  keep  the  air  in  the  teats. 

This  treatment  is  known  in  most  districts 
simply  as  the  air  treatment,  but  originally  these 
cases  were  treated  by  injecting  into  the  udder 
solutions  of  potassium  iodid  in  water,  and  then 
a  salt  solution,  and  this  was  followed  by  pure 
oxygen  gas,  to  be  later  replaced  by  simple 
atmospheric   pressure. 

The  cow  should  be  treated  just  as  soon  as 
possible  after  being  found  and,  even  when  she 
has  been  neglected  so  long  that  treatment  might 
seem  to  be  useless,  she  may  recover.  We  have 
had  cows  in  our  practice  that  would  recover  per- 
fectly after  they  were  apparently  dead.  So  in 
this  condition  as  long  as  there  is  a  spark  of  life 
there  is  good  hope  for  recovery. 

Under  no  conditions  is  it  advisable  to  attempt 
to  give  a  cow  suffering  with  milk  fever  any 
medicine  by  way  of  the  mouth.  The  throat  is 
partially  paralyzed  and  the  medicine  might  pass 
into  the  lungs  and  kill  the  cow. 

In  a  short  while  after  the  cow's  udder  has 
been  inflated  she  will  begin  to  regain  her  senses ; 
her  breathing  gets  better  and  she  gets  brighter; 
after  a  while  she  will  straighten  up  and  swallow 
a  few  times  and  begin  to  act  natural.  As  soon  as 
she  can  be  induced  to  attempt  to  get  on  her  feet, 
she  should  be  helped,  and  if  she  succeeds  in  get- 
ting up  she  should  be  steadied  for  a  few  minutes 
until  she  can  stand  alone. 

A  cow  that  lies  stretched  on  her  side  when  in 


134  The  Cow  m  Health  and  Disease. 

this  condition  sometimes  bloats  badly  and  in  this 
case  should  be  tapped.  It  is  better  still  to  pre- 
vent bloat  by  keeping  her  propped  up  on  her 
breast  until  she  regains  consciousness. 

After  the  cow  is  on  her  feet  she  should  have 
water  but  no  feed  for  the  first  ten  or  twelve 
hours ;  at  the  end  of  this  time  she  may  be  milked. 
Xo  other  treatment  is  necessary.  If,  however, 
the  cow  does  not  regain  her  feet  within  four  or 
five  hours  inflate  the  udder  as  before. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

STERILITY  OF  COWS. 

Sterility  is  one  of  the  biggest  economic  prob- 
lems that  the  dairymen  and  large  breeders  have 
to  solve.  This  condition  is  steadily  on  the  in- 
crease and  is  found  in  the  dairy  districts  and 
especially  where  contagious  abortion  is  preva- 
lent. 

Sterility  produces  losses  to  dairymen  and 
breeders  in  a  number  of  ways.  The  dairy  man 
that  has  cows  that  are  sterile  suffers  greatly 
from  a  lessened  production  as  he  is  unable  to 
get  the  cows  with  calf  and  the  result  is  a  greatly 
reduced  milk  flow.  The  dairyman  that  has 
good,  pure-bred  animals  suffers  another  serious 
loss  in  as  much  as  he  secures  no  offspring  from 
his  well-bred  cows.  The  calves  from  many  cows 
are  worth  very  much  more  than  all  the  butter 
and  milk  that  they  would  produce  in  one  year, 
which  is  the  usual  length  of  time  between  suc- 
cessive freshening. 

The  percentage  of  sterility  in  the  cows  of  the 
United  States  cannot  be  very  closely  estimated, 
but  it  would  probably  be  somewhere  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  ten  per  cent. 

Not  all  animals   that  we  class   as   sterile  are 

135 


136  The  Cow  in  Health  and   Disease. 

permanently  so,  as  many  of  them  will  breed 
again  after  being  properly  treated.  Others, 
however,  can  never  breed,  as  they  are  incurable 
and  this  is  the  reason  that  none  save  a  very  care- 
ful, studious  veterinarian  can  become  qualified 
so  that  by  examination  he  can  inform  the  owner 
what  animals  can  be  cured  and  which  should  be 
sent  to  the  slaughter.  The  quack  will  soon  get 
in  trouble  when  he  attempts  to  deal  with  this 
condition. 

The  value  of  the  cow  has  a  great  influence 
upon  the  decision  of  the  veterinarian  in  cases  of 
sterility,  also  the  length  of  time  that  has  elapsed 
since  the  last  calving.  Cow^s  that  are  but  grades 
and  not  exceptionally  good  ones  will  rarely  be 
worth  the  treatment.  The  most  of  these  cows 
must  receive  weekly  treatments  and  from  fifty 
to  seventy-five  per  cent  of  them  will  require 
from  three  to  six  treatments.  A  few  will  re- 
cover after  a  greater  number  of  treatments,  up 
to  six  months,  but  the  number  that  will  recover 
and  breed  again  after  they  have  been  treated 
over  six  months  is  very  small  indeed. 

Causes  of  Sterility. 

Sterility  may  be  caused  by  excessive  feeding 
of  cows  for  show  purposes,  lack  of  exercise,  de- 
bilitating diseases,  excessive  fatness,  etc.  The 
removal  of  these,  when  they  are  the  causes,  usu- 
ally brings  about  the  return  of  the  heat  periods. 

Abnormalities  of  the  genital  organs,  that  is, 
the  vagina,  uterus,  ovaries  fallopian  tubes,  etc. 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease,  137 

Disease  of  the  ovaries,  tubes,  uterus  and  vagina 
and  cysts  or  tumors  in  any  of  these  organs. 
But  by  far  the  most  common  cause  of  this  con- 
dition is  contagious  abortion. 

Contagious  abortion  produces  sterility  by 
causing  a  diseased  condition  of  the  uterus  or 
some  of  the  other  genital  organs.  This  is  closely 
associated  by  an  inflammation  of  the  vagina, 
which  is  easily  transmitted  from  the  cow's  con- 
tact with  infected  stables  and  bedding  and  also 
by  the  bull  during  the  act  of  coition.  The  only 
way  this  condition  can  be  remedied  is  by  disin- 
fecting the  stables  and  local  treatment  of  the 
vagina  of  the  cow  and  the  prepuce  of  the  bulls. 

Diseases  of  the  Ovaries. 

While  it  requires  a  qualified  veterinarian  to 
intelligently  diagnose  the  diseases  of  the  cow's 
ovaries,  yet  there  is  a  train  of  symptoms  that  are 
usually  indicative  of  a  diseased  condition  of  the 
ovaries,  and  they  are  the  absence  of  the  heat 
periods,  irregular  heat  periods,  or  the  animals 
are  continuously  in  heat.  There  is  also  in  the 
majority  of  cases  a  relaxing  of  the  sacro-sciatic 
ligaments,  which  are  just  to  the  side  and  a  little 
forward  from  the  case  of  the  tail  and  this  gives 
the  backbone  a  humped  up  appearance.  The 
vulva  may  also  be  relaxed  and  flabby  and  appear 
larger  than  normal. 

Occasionally  only  one  ovary  will  be  diseased, 
but  usually  both.  These  diseases  are  brought 
about   by  the   infection   traveling  up   from  the 


19$  The   Cow  in  Health  and    Disease. 

uterus  through  the  tubes  to  the  ovary.  This  in- 
fection may  be  from  a  piece  of  retained  after- 
birth or  from  a  diseased  uterus. 

Diseases  of  the  Tubes. 

The  fallopian  tubes  are  very  small  tortuous 
tubes  that  lead  from  the  horns  of  the  uterus  to 
the  ovary  and  they  conduct  the  germ  from  the 
ovary  to  the  uterus.  Due  to  infection  gaining 
access  from  a  diseased  uterus  or  from  a  re- 
tained afterbirth  we  often  have  a  very  badly 
inflamed  thick-walled  infected  caval  that  will 
prevent  the  cow  from  getting  with  calf.  This 
condition  can  only  be  treated  by  a  veterinarian 
and  requires  a  number  of  special  instruments 
that  are  expensive. 

Diseases  of  the  Uterus. 

By  far  the  cause  of  the  greatest  number  of 
sterile  cows  is  a  diseased  uterus.  This  may  be 
a  catarrhal  inflammation  or  it  may  be  in  which 
there  is  no  discharge  or  it  may  be  a  severe  in- 
flammation in  which  there  is  a  mucous  discharge 
mixed  with  pus  that  flows  from  the  vagina  at 
intervals.  This  pus  may  be  retained  for  some 
time  in  a  few  cases.  About  90  per  cent  of  cows 
that  abort  have  at  least  an  inflammation  of  some 
sort  of  the  uterus  and  every  cow  that  aborts 
should  have  proper  treatment  by  a  veterinarian 
that  understands  the  treatment  of  this  condition. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  treat  the  cow  at  time  of 
calving,  but  if  the  afterbirth  is  retained  it  should 


The  Cow  in  Health  and  Disease.         139 

be  removed  and  in  from  ten  to  fourteen  days 
after  calving  the  treatments  should  be  com- 
menced and  continued  until  the  uterus  is  nor- 
mal. Every  cow  that  aborts  should  have  uter- 
ine treatments  without  a  single  exception  and 
then  there  would  be  a  very  small  percent  of 
them  that  would  be  permanently  sterile. 

Quarantine. 

Every  cow  that  aborts  should  be  removed  to  a 
separate  quarantine  stable  and  the  stable  should 
be  carefully  and  thoroughly  disinfected.  This 
cow  should  be  kept  here  and  should  be  treated 
weekly  until  the  uterus  appears  normal  and  then 
bred.  In  no  case  would  it  be  well  to  breed  her 
before  the  expiration  of  two  months. 

Who  Can  Treat  Sterility. 

This  condition  can  only  be  treated  intelligent- 
ly and  successfully  by  the  careful,  painstaking 
veterinarian  who  has  given  a  great  deal  of  study 
to  this  condition  and  should  not  be  attempted  by 
anyone  else,  as  there  are  several  pitfalls  into 
which  the  empiric  will  fall  that  would  be  worse 
than  sterility  as  they  would  many  times  result  in 
the  death  of  the  animal. 


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